What do I do when I didn't leave an employer on the best terms and the potential employer wants to contact them? (Bad Reference)
If you parted ways with a manager “on bad terms”, you might be wondering how this could effect future job offers. Here are a few things to consider:
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Many past employers will simply confirm your dates of employment. In which case, you'd be fine.
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You can try to make peace with your previous employer. Even if they'll never give you a stellar referral, you might change a negative reference into a neutral one.
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List another manager, peer, or someone you reported to. If someone else can speak to your job performance, ask them to be a reference.
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If it was a short tenure, going forward you can leave this employer off of your resume altogether.
For Interview Success Formula members can visit the Build Section under Overcome Interview Objections where this topic is covered a bit more.
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