A friend of mine who has been working as an MPA for 4 years. She got her BA degree more than 2 years ago, but because of her financial situation, continued to work in an MP. Now she wants to retire and gets back to her own field. She knows I have a side business which is not very active, never really makes any money and with no employee. She asked whether she could put down in her resume that she worked for me in the last 2 years. I didn't know how to say NO but I'm worry that if people called for reference, I would have to lie for her. What would you do?
Should I lie for her?
- Thread starter Caveman
- Start date
This is a no brainer, what's the loss or risk to you? Zero.....and you'd be helping her maybe move into a lucrative field.
Don't lie, thats wrong, but be very selective in the information you give and explain it by saying its company poicy not to say much.
She has done contract work for you.
She has fulfilled a number of positions.
You were always saisfied with her performance and people skills.
She handled whatever came up with a hands on enthusiasm that any employer would welcome.
Stuff like that.
She has done contract work for you.
She has fulfilled a number of positions.
You were always saisfied with her performance and people skills.
She handled whatever came up with a hands on enthusiasm that any employer would welcome.
Stuff like that.
This is your chance to give someone a new start in life. I can't tell you how hard it was for me to find jobs because I had no references. It's really a catch 22 situation: no references = no jobs, and no jobs = no references.
You will have to be prepared to answer such questions from employers such as:
1)What was her job?
2)How was her performance?
3)How did she work with others?
Not sure what kind of job she is going to put on her resume, but make sure you discuss the details, otherwise when the employer calls, and they find out you're lying, she's screwed.
You will have to be prepared to answer such questions from employers such as:
1)What was her job?
2)How was her performance?
3)How did she work with others?
Not sure what kind of job she is going to put on her resume, but make sure you discuss the details, otherwise when the employer calls, and they find out you're lying, she's screwed.
The harm is if your called for a reference.
1) Can you vouch for her? Is she ethical? Is she a hard worker? Does she come in to work on time?
2) Can you speak about all the professional skills she lists (not the sex profession)?
If you are a professional yourself, you can find yourself in a big pile of sh!t if you say she is great and reliable and knows a specific skill AND then she almost burns down the place of her new employer and steals a weeks worth of sales in cash from the till, then you can find yourself sued and fcked with your rep.
1) Can you vouch for her? Is she ethical? Is she a hard worker? Does she come in to work on time?
2) Can you speak about all the professional skills she lists (not the sex profession)?
If you are a professional yourself, you can find yourself in a big pile of sh!t if you say she is great and reliable and knows a specific skill AND then she almost burns down the place of her new employer and steals a weeks worth of sales in cash from the till, then you can find yourself sued and fcked with your rep.
papasmerf said:
Sure why not. Just answer the questions positively but vaguely.
If asked about punctuality etc..... say stuff like "in your experience" or "to the best of your knowledge" you are not expected to be able to guarantee she will never be late. Nor will you be held accountable.
If asked about punctuality etc..... say stuff like "in your experience" or "to the best of your knowledge" you are not expected to be able to guarantee she will never be late. Nor will you be held accountable.
Better yet, answer the questions in the context of what she actually did for you:frankcastle said:
Q: "Mr. Caveman, how would you characterize Ms. Whacker's job skills?"
A: "She was very thorough. Whenever presented with a hard problem, she always took a hands-on approach and wrestled with it until she finished the job. Sometimes she would even do it over just to be sure it was completely finished."
Q: "Mr. Caveman, what is Ms. Whacker's greatest strength, and what is an area on which she could improve?"
A: "She was very well organized. She managed multiple appointments each day and had to make sure everyone stayed on schedule. In addition, she was responsible keeping all the supplies neatly stocked. However, she had a tendency to be a bit loud, and her co-workers would occasionally complain that they couldnt concentrate on their own tasks at hand because of Ms. Whacker's enthusiastiam."
You get the idea...
Do what big firms do.
"Yes, I can confirm she was employed here from X to Y, that her job title was ABC, and that she left the company for personal reasons. It's our policy not to divulge any further information about current or past employees so I'm afraid I can't tell you more than that."
If you just confirm the basic demographic facts and refuse to comment on anything else (a) you aren't telling as big a lie, and (b) you won't get sued because you aren't vouching for her *behavior* only confirming a *fact* (well a lie, but hey).
"Yes, I can confirm she was employed here from X to Y, that her job title was ABC, and that she left the company for personal reasons. It's our policy not to divulge any further information about current or past employees so I'm afraid I can't tell you more than that."
If you just confirm the basic demographic facts and refuse to comment on anything else (a) you aren't telling as big a lie, and (b) you won't get sued because you aren't vouching for her *behavior* only confirming a *fact* (well a lie, but hey).
How about works well with others.LancsLad said:
Is open to new challenges and experiences.
Pursues her assigned tasks with great energy until completion.
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Seriously, in the states some companies will not allow their employees to give references. In this day and age when people sue you at the drop of a hat...they don't want the risk.
And you might get a great hand-job too!tboy said:
The suggestion of using her as a "contractor" is a good one. If you are called for a reference, be somewhat vague, but positive... assuming, as Svend pointed out, that you honestly believe she would be a good employee.
Then collect your hand-job... One good deed deserves another!
When I was downsized I attended an outplacement session for a week. In my 'graduating' class was a Director of HR from Bell and one form Holt Renfrew, both of whom had been donwsized.
They both said that checking a reference was a stupid waste of time as HR knows that nobody sane is going to give them a reference who will shit upon the prospective employee.
They both said that they have other ways to check up on what you did in your previous jobs...but they would not reveal those secrets.
They both said that checking a reference was a stupid waste of time as HR knows that nobody sane is going to give them a reference who will shit upon the prospective employee.
They both said that they have other ways to check up on what you did in your previous jobs...but they would not reveal those secrets.
Generally the abovementioned type liability only arises when the reference actively lies regarding significant negative factorsmtl_guy said:
e.g. several School Districts gave glowing recommendations for a man who was hired as an Assistant Principal knowing that they (those giving the recommendations) had received complaints of sexual misconduct involving female students, the police had not been notified in any of the cases, and all the previous schools had reached agreements to terminate his employment.
As others have said don't lie about things you don't know about e.g. don't say she's competent with certain accounting software unless you know that she is.
What position is she applying for? Does she have the skills to succeed? Do you feel you could recommend her for the position? If yes to the last 2, then do her a favour and give her the recommendation after getting the story straight between the two of you. I'd want to be confident that she would be a decent employee before I gave a recommendation though.
