References

[SharonO]

Can I request copies of my references from past employers?
Sadly I was sacked from one job and obviously I am worried that the employer states this in the reference. Do they? Also, do employers usually go through and get a reference when they say they will?
Thanks ever so much for all replies.

[Buenchico]

Please see here:
http://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/Jobs-and-Educat ion/Question191367.html

Many employers don't bother checking references but plenty do. Those that do so will often only check the most recent reference, even though they might have asked for the names of two or three referees.

However, a large number of employers now advertise all of their vacancies through agencies. Some agencies are ridiculously strict about obtaining references. I did two day's casual work, at short notice, through an agency based over a hundred miles from where I live. (They just had a 'one-off' job in my area, which they advertised through JobCentre Plus). The employer was pleased with my services and the agency paid me promptly. A few weeks later, the agency sent a letter , demanding that I should provide them with references. As it was obvious that I'd never work for the agency again, I ignored the letter. I then got a phone call stating that the law required that I must provide them with references. That's utter rubbish but I still gave them the names of two referees (while still assuming that they'd never take up the references because it was a complete waste of time). They obtained a reference from one person I'd named (who couldn't understand why I required a reference for a firm I wasn't going to work for again) but the other guy was out of the country. I then received a whole stream of increasingly aggressive phone calls and letters, demanding that I must comply with 'the law' and provide a second reference. (I never did).

Chris