dodgy reference

[almondape]

I aqm trying to get back to work after 5 years out. I left my last job under a bit of a cloud because started the job pregnant and had to do a probationary year. I ended up taking a years maternity year and then getting pregnant again with another mat leave after which i resigned. I did manage to pass my probationary year nevertheless. Afterwards an ex colleague of mine commented that if she was in my position she would worry about her reference from that employer. I was surprised at this because i didn't feel i had done anything terribly wrong. anyway I am now applying for jobs and initially I am getting a good response but then the trail goes cold and people are not getting back to me. I wonder could this be down to a bad reference? What can i do about this and how do i go about finding out if my references are not good? I seem to be putting in alot of effort and not getting anywhere. Can anyone give me some sound advice on this eg what are ex employers allowed to say in refs? Has anyone been in this situation themselves when they had their family?

When you say that the trail goes cold, what stage is this at? Are you getting interviews for these jobs, if not, it is not usual to apply for references before interview so something else is preventing your applications succeeding. If you are getting interviews, have you asked for feedback on why you did not get the job? I don't think you can say that it is definitely a poor reference without a lot more information. If you have been out of the workforce for five years, and actually you spent most of the previous couple of years on maternity leave, then you may well find that employers are choosing people with more relevant or up-to-date skills and experience. It's also tough for anyone to find a job at the moment so unless you have very specialist skills you will be facing lots of competition.

Almond, the way you describe it makes it sound like you drew two years' salary but were never there. If that's the case - how can they give a good ref? I'd be inclined to go to the employer prior to them for the ref, unless the job demands a specific ref from your most recent employer. Or get an interim job quickly that doesn't call on references - work for a small local firm for a few months, making it clear you're looking for a permanent role elsewhere, but at least they'll give good refs if you make a good impression..