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How do people handle this? My prior employer would not let my manager (who loved my work) write me a letter of recommendation. Neither can any of my coworkers.
I was a good employee, was actually offered a promotion to manager after 2 months (because my 1st manager was leaving the company and I had made a good first impression, I guess), but didn't accept it because I liked the work I had been hired for. In hindsight, that was the right decision, because by keeping the job I was hired to do, I saved the company $80k in 6 months, which I wouldn't have done if I had taken the manager position.
My manager is a great guy and supported me in all my efforts to correct the practices of the department I headed up (a 1 person dept--just me).
I became ill, then they laid off a lot of people, including me.
When I asked for a letter of recommendation, I was told that it was company policy only to give potential employers my employment info--dates of work, salary, title, etc. He said my colleagues couldn't write anything either.
They said it has to do with the potentiality of lawsuits.
Oh, my manager also said that if a potential employer calls him for a reference, he'd have to switch the call to HR, where they'd get just basic info.
How do I get a new job if I don't have a letter of recommendation? Has anyone else run into this wall?
Nearly every employer in the country has the same policy. So any employer you are applying to will be expecting it.
You get around it by networking. If there are managers or coworkers that you've worked with but have left the company, they will not be bound by your employer's policy, so reconnect with them and ask if they would be willing to serve as a reference. All of those people who were laid off with you are in the same boat--you all need references and your former employer won't provide one. So be a reference for each other.
Coworkers and managers from previous jobs can be references too. And, character references don't have to be limited to people on the same payroll as you, current or past. You can ask clients or vendors too. Former classmates with whom you've teamed. Professors. Volunteer coordinators for charities you've worked with.
My current company is the same way. I brought it up to one of the managers and never got an answer back LOL.
My university is now requiring faculty and staff to sign a waiver/form that will allow them to be a reference for a single person. That is a lot of forms to sign for a professor if many of your students is looking for references.
What you can do is tell your new potential employer the situation and provide the HR contact at your other companies.
Another option is to get your boss and other co-workers to write personal letters of recommendations and mention in the letters that they have worked on various projects with you without naming specific employers or project names, but describe the qualities and qualifications you showed while working on the project. Also get them to use their personal phone numbers and email addresses and not their business numbers.
The majority of my professors were great. I was able to use them as references. However, I do know of one university that is extremely unhelpful to their students in regards to references. I was very surprised to hear of their uncaring practices.
Quote:
Originally Posted by tban
My current company is the same way. I brought it up to one of the managers and never got an answer back LOL.
My university is now requiring faculty and staff to sign a waiver/form that will allow them to be a reference for a single person. That is a lot of forms to sign for a professor if many of your students is looking for references.
Thanks for all the replies. I guess I could contact the former manager that left the company, but he only worked with me for two months.
Unfortunately, there were no collegues I worked with to get recommendations from. I was in a one person dept, which didn't interact with other departments. Also only 1 person from the division I worked at got laid off, and I didn't know that particular person.
College was 30 years ago. lol on that.
So I guess I'll see if I can find the phone number of my old manager.
Things used to be so much easier. Go in for an interview, get hired on the spot. I long for those days again...
Thanks for all the ideas. I'm sure they'll help others.
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