WWYD - recommended someone for a role but now have negative feedback

[StopEatingTheBiscuits]

I’ve name changed for this

I left a job 2 years ago in company 1 and recommended someone to take over my position. I was well trusted and they interviewed this person and gave him the job.

I assumed it was going ok and another job came up in a different company (company 2) and they called me about him as they knew I worked with him (their chairman the same as ours so he called me) and I gave him a positive review . He hasn’t got the job yet but they are v keen.

Company 1 asked me out for a drink and told me that they are really struggling with this guy. That technically he’s v good but he’s under delivering in a number of areas and he is just not good enough. They ran through the areas that he’s not doing well in and I can see how it might be happening given his personality.

If company 2 wasn’t related to me in any way, I wouldn’t care but I’m slightly concerned now that I need to update what I said to be truthful about the current feedback. If you were in my shoes, would you call your chairman to give some more pertinent feedback? I believe the areas he’s falling down on can be worked on and some are a result of his working environment.

This all sounds massively unprofessional. Why would Company 1 take you out and tell you had badly one of their staff was underperforming? It's appalling. Particularly when you no longer work for them. What are they expecting you to do? Apologise for recommending him?

No they just wanted my advice on how to deal with the situation. The industry I’m in is very small and everyone knows each other.

@StopEatingTheBiscuits I would in the specific circumstances you describe. You can be constructive and say if xyz support/ is in place/given etc.

I think you would be on very thin ice passing on sensitive hearsay feedback (aka gossip) like this. Just let it drop. You could end up getting yourself in a very tricky position. You can only speak to your own direct knowledge and experience of the candidate.

All the more reason for employers to exercise discretion, I’d be livid if issues about my performance were being discussed in a pub with someone not involved in my management. Much less a company I applied to breaching my confidence by discussing my application with someone not involved in the recruitment process.

In any event, company 2 asked you and you answered based on your experience of him, albeit that experience was over 2 years ago. If they decide to recruit him on that basis, it’s their issue. I wouldn’t feedback to company 2 based on gossip and would stop talking about people who haven’t provided you as a referee or asked you to represent them.