Free Career and Job Search Advice

honor · New User Joined: 12 Oct 2007 Posts: 5 Career Advice: +0/-0

Hi everyone,

I'm new here and have been searching for a place to find help with a very difficult situation. I left my job 9 months ago to return to school and finish the degree I had started, due to worsening conditions in my workplace. It became evident that a lifelong career there was too risky. There were many conditions that made it a place of complete injustice. For example, new employees would come in with big agendas, and because of jealously or self-interest, would attempt to destroy my exceptional work record, and even worse, upper management would doubt me and believe their dishonest claims about me, despite my work record and proven excellent character. How convenient for them. Being a good employee with a highly respected work record ultimately hurt me much more than it helped me. There are many people who want to get good employees (the competition) out of their way. The harder I worked, the more I became a target.

I could not trust my employer or any of the people around me. Now I am seeking work again, and I do not trust them for a good reference, even though I put my entire heart into that job. It is very unfair. You would have to understand the mentality of the place to understand what kind of people I was working around and what kind of conditions I was working under in order to understand what I am facing now in terms of a new employer contacting them.

I left because I had no trust or faith in them, and now my fate is in their hands. What does one do about such a thing? I've read a few other threads with similar problems, but found no real answers, and my situation seems worse. I never gave anything but 100% to my job, never did anything wrong, and left of my own free will, but feel like I have nothing to show for years of effort. To anyone out there, please choose your employer carefully, because if you see character flaws in them, it will hurt you tremendously in the end. It's just as important for an employee to select an employer as it is the other way around. Any suggestions would be very much appreciated. Thank you.

lexa10881 · Posted: Sat Oct 13, 2007 8:17 pm Post subject:

One thing you want to be careful of is during an interview, if they ask if you will allow them to contact your previous employer, is your response. You do not want to badmouth your previous employer for any reason!! If you do not want them to be used for a reference, just say so and leave it at that. you might briefly state that you left due to the working environment and leave it at that. Some companies have an employee verification hotline that will only verify employment, not give details about what happened while you worked there. Are you lucky enough for this to be the method of verification that your previous employer uses?

http://www.cvtips.com/reference_letter_of.html

If there is at least one person from your prior job that you have been in contact with and maintained a good relationship, let them be the reference you use and don't worry about asking the company for one directly. Just be sure to ask ther person first before offering them as a reference as this is just courteous.

honor · New User Joined: 12 Oct 2007 Posts: 5 Career Advice: +0/-0

Cleaver08 · Posted: Tue Oct 16, 2007 8:09 pm Post subject:

Honor,

I feel for you as I am in a very similar situation; it sounds like exactly the same thing I am going through.

I actually have two references from the former employer who saw what I went through, didn't think it was right, and offered to serve as a reference. What my current challenge is: many applications I have filled out ask for the supervisor's name and phone # from your previous employers. My fear is the same as yours...what happens if the former horror of a supervisor gets involved in that conversation? I can't see anything positive coming out of that.

In fact, I did have an interview with a company in my industry and could have already gotten that job. The person that called me mentioned he once worked for my former employer. We scheduled an interview and the next day he sent me an email canceling the interview, saying the position was filled. I suspected foul play and smelled a rat. So, I replied to the email and asked if I could apply for another position in the organization only to get no reply. Hmmmm. I just know he contacted the former employer.

Does the former employer really want me to end up living under a bridge??? I saw red flags when I interviewed for that job...the interviewer was bad-mouthing some lady that used to work there when I asked why that person left. I should have not taken that job, but I was desperate.

And what's worse...the former employer can bad-mouth you all they want, but you are expected to not say anything negative in an interview, because it is considered bad-mouthing. Basically, you cannot give your side of the story, but they can go beyond that and make up things if that really want to.

Years of building a solid career and suddenly you are impeded by one bad experience that was not your fault! GEEZ! ANYONE can fall into that trap. It makes me not want to work anymore if these things are allowed to happen.

I could understand if I called in sick all the time, didn't work hard, had a bad attitude, but I am far from all of that and simply a victim of a badly managed company where dirty politics decided everything. Upper management was totally clueless to all of this or didn't care.

honor · New User Joined: 12 Oct 2007 Posts: 5 Career Advice: +0/-0

Cleaver08 · Posted: Thu Oct 18, 2007 2:04 pm Post subject:

Hi Honor,

Wow,you really get it! I sure would like to work with someone like you and with your ideals. We should start our own business together. Very Happy

I'm at that point now too, where I am seriously trying to come up with ways to be self-employed. I feel like I have so much working against me right now. I have to get past the being "let go" part and then the fear of getting into a similar situation again...I'm just spinning in limbo right now.

I've never been in a predicament like this before; I suppose it's another one of those "life lessons".

Stay strong friend!

Cleaver08

Pauloz · Posted: Fri Oct 19, 2007 2:32 am Post subject:

honor-

From your posts, you can legitimately say that the previous employment was in conflict with your personal values and your concept of integrity in the workplace.

It's pretty obvious that honesty is your strong suit, and a good basis for employing you. I think equivocation would undermine that position.

You don't have to be specific about your issues with the former employer, so you can just say you disagreed with policies and practices. Putting it that way, anything negative they can say in regard to you will sound either like cheap shots or vindictive.

You can also say you didn't consider them to be appropriate referees under the circumstances, which from the sound of it would be an understatement.

You might want to sound the new employers out about those issues beforehand, so you know how they're going to approach them.

honor · New User Joined: 12 Oct 2007 Posts: 5 Career Advice: +0/-0

Cleaver, thanks. I was going to PM you, but I noticed that this forum has that function disabled, so posters have no way to communicate off of the forum. That's unfortunate, because I think we could give each other some support. Maybe one of us could post an email address in our profile or something. My thoughts are with you.

Pauloz, that was very insightful and very accurate, and you have given me a great deal to think about in terms of how I should approach this. I truly appreciate your input. Thank you very much.

lexa10881 · Posted: Mon Oct 22, 2007 4:02 am Post subject:

Pauloz has some good recommendations for you, along the lines of what I was thinking. Usually being broad in your answer and watching what you say will go a long way. Honesty does appear to be a stength of yours, please remember to address that when asked what your strengths and weaknesses are. If you don't agree with the values of your former employer, it is honorable I think to state that. But I bet the interviewer will try to pump you for more info and that is where I see a potential problem. Sounds like you have everything under control, however.

http://www.cvtips.com/personal_strengths_weaknesses_interview.html

Randy · Posted: Mon Oct 22, 2007 4:36 am Post subject: Re: Problems with former employer

quote="honor"

I left because I had no trust or faith in them

Good for you!

and now my fate is in their hands.

True, up to a point. Yeah, they can give you a bad reference and all that stuff. I've an ex-employer from seven years ago who still keeps his claws in my past. Put this way: He's "connected" enough that the Vice-President of the United States has visited his "house."

It's time to learn to use "their" rules against them. Rarely these days will employers verify more than dates of employment and, on occasion, answer with "yes" or "no" the question, "Would you rehire this person?"

So your stated reasons for leaving should be nothing more than "personal."

Remember that it's bastards like your former employers who treat you like a "resource" instead of a "human," who'll terminate your employment with a cavalier "Don't take it personally, it's just business," and so forth.

In a job interview, you're talking to a potential employer who isn't that much different from all the others. They KNOW how spiteful and vindictive they can be, and generally are. The hiring process reduces to nothing more than whether or not the person to whom you're speaking likes you or not. Your past history has far less to do it with than your presence and demeanor.

Screw 'em. Get on with your life. And don't look back.

Best of luck.

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