So angry at my previous employer

[Cherryblossom200]

Hello!

Just venting more than anything!

Just to give a bit of context, I’m a project manager and worked with some big global clients. I stepped out of that for a while to work part time 15 hours a week for a small local company. To put it mildly they were massively unprofessional, they expected full time work and expectations in a part time role. I raised it with them a few times and they dismissed it that I was pretty much incapable. Bear in mind this role was just an admin role which I was more than qualified to do. But they didn’t like that I pushed back and made my life difficult. They are used to young uni leavers with no job experience who they can dump work on and won’t complain. In the time I worked there, a girl left due to stress and was only there for 6 months, one girl left after two weeks and her notice period was longer than her time at work. It was a mess.

I started looking for a job fairly quickly, I landed a job working for a charity which was full time. Too be fair I had reservations, the role was for a co-ordinator position and they took me through a 4 stage interview process which was gruelling. That included personality test and a presentation. I got the job subject to references.

They asked to speak to my last few line managers. Two gave great references, but had left the company. And I gave a colleague not my recent line manager because I knew he would give me a bad reference. Yep my mistake, but also I know it’s common to give a different reference as long as they worked there. Anyway the charity found out it wasn’t my line manager, I explained the situation with my previous job and gave them my line managers details but said they probably wouldn’t give me a good reference and explained the reasons why.

Today they called me to say they have retracted the job offer. They basically grilled my references for 30 minutes each over the phone giving them a copy of my job description. So basically my ex line manager was able to say what he liked and there was no paper trail. He is a very vindictive character who who would have loved to say what he liked knowing he could get away with it.

I’m beyond angry, yes I had reservations about the job, but this has completely taken the decision away from me and is now jeopardising future jobs for me. Im thinking of removing the job (I was there for less than 6 months) thoughts?

That sounds absolutely awful. Physically intimidating.
So much sounds wrong with this.. Sorry you had to go through that OP x

90% of leavers from my place never have a reference followed up with me. The only ones which always check are charities and carer roles. Many SMEs don't check references so you'll probably be ok with other applications.

I checked ICO website. It depends on whether the employer has stated already that references are confidential...... plus it has to be balanced against the requester's interest in satisfying themselves to the truth and accuracy of the reference (which is what cherryblossom200 is trying to do clearly).

https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/uk-gdpr-guidance-and-resources/employment/subject-access-request-q-and-as-for-employers/#:~:text=Confidential%20references,the%20reference%20on%20the%20requester;

But, dear cherryblossom200, id say its likely you have dodged another wacko employer. FOUR interviews for an admin job is nuts.... It must be a huge shock, so thats a real shame but in future I would agree leave it off your CV and you were helping a family member who was ill or something. The trouble is you cannot tell the truth because of the "no badmouthing a previous employer ", and how many awful employers have some of us had?
This is simply the way recruitment is set up.

I had a similar experience with a charity. It made me realise I didn't want be stuck working at a charity with processes from 2002.

Who wants to work somewhere that hasn't modernised, surrounded by red tape and has zero critical thinking skills?

I avoid that sector completely now. You're better than that 💐

People are so flipping horrible sometimes. I worked with someone who ticked "no" on "would you employ this person again" (I hadn't done anything wrong and left on good terms!)

So unnecessary, ☹️ that's why mine was revoked!

Oh wow so it’s seems fairly common then!

I do definitely want to get to the bottom of this. I know how my past employer is, professional isn’t a word that exists in their vocabulary. They seemed to literally hate everyone, had a tone of people who they’d p*ssed off. And they seemed to always be the victims with zero understanding it was because they way they treat people.

There is a big part of me which makes me want them to pay for what they have done to me working there and also for the reference. That’s why I want to see the SAR.

I’m 😱 at this thread. wtf? People focused on the OP lying- she’s being unfairly treated by an ex employer. It’s stopping her getting a new job. Presumably, she is not working now. How long could you survive without income rather than risk “lying” ?!?

to top it all off- giving a referee who isn’t her line manager isn’t lying. It’s a perfectly acceptable thing to do.

OP- although I hope you’re not desperate, I think lucky break. Charities are usually shit employers (as you’ve seen) the work is bound to be dull and your colleagues will be really poor standard (despite the 4 interviews!)

4 interviews is a red flag in itself 🚩

W.T.A.F @PILEALLTHEPILLSONTHEFLOOR

Tbh if an employer is willing to take a reference direct from a candidate without obtaining it themselves directly they deserve everything they get.

besides people would be surprised at the number of people whose references come out of settlement agreements- often written by themselves AND passed on by the company when requested from prospective employers

cackles in 100k per year

No, you’re not.

Once again you’ve forgotten about AS.

Still got your kids upstairs in bed?

and U forgot about Deez Nuts

But can you blame the new employer for withdrawing their offer when they find out she lied?

She said the referee WAS her line manager when they weren’t

Not really but since she knew the line manager would give her a bad reference she may as well have tried something else

I would have also retracted

I understand why they retracted the offer, I’m more angry with my ex employer with how they have treated me overall. If they would have treated me in a respectful, professional way then I wouldn’t have felt so worried about putting them down as a reference. I’m trying to now focus on my future and next steps. I think of reflection the charity wasn’t my place either. So perhaps my ex employer did me a favour.

I am just trying to process everything at the moment, and would kindly appreciate it that people stop bringing up what I’ve done. I know it’s was wrong, the comments are making me feel even worse 😢

If the reference contains untrith, then it’s slanderous and you can at least go back to your former employer hr in order to ensure this doesn’t happen again

They have no HR, it’s the owners just winging it. So if they have been untruthful then I can’t see them really caring.

I want to know which charity makes you do four stage interview for a coordinator role.

Yeah I can’t for obvious reasons disclose that, it’s not one of the big ones though. Don’t forget in those 4 stages I had to do a presentation, personality screening test which then sent me the results 30 minutes before my interview and then grilled me on the results when I barely had time to read the report. And then I was recorded in the interview. I’ve NEVER had to do this for an interview before.

was the person you gave as a reference employed at the company?