Looking for a bit of advice.
When applying for jobs, positions in my field nearly always want two employment references going back 3-5 years.
My current employer only allows HR to grant references, so that's simple enough. My problem is with the second reference.
Before my current role, I worked for a huge national company and because of the size, it was common for managers to give references. However, this isn't really an option for me as it was an unfair dismissal disguised as redundancy, and it got very ugly when I left. I wouldn't want to ask my dick of an ex-boss for anything, let alone a reference. It was also very awkward with ex-colleagues (they were scared for themselves so gave me no support when I was made redundant), so I haven't kept in contact with any of them.
I was there for 3 years, so I'm sure an employer would want a reference from them. Because it was such a big company, the HR department was across the country and I don't even know their names. Is it still acceptable for me to give them the HR email in these cirumstances? I'd imagine they could only confirm employment dates so it would be extremely basic. I don't even have a name.
Otherwise I have no second referee, as personal references are usually not accepted.