Ask the Expert: A poor reference is holding me back
Our panel of experts answers career questions from readers. Other readers can contribute their views. I was made redundant nine months ago from an IT position in a bank in the UK and have been unable to get a similar role because of my reference. Although officially my position was made redundant it now appears that I was dismissed due to poor performance. As a result, I have not been invited for interview with my previous employer although many suitable jobs have come up. I am 37 and don't have a degree but want to continue working in IT for an investment bank.
Your situation is sadly not uncommon. It is all too easy for employers to use redundancy as a simple and clean mechanism for getting rid of people they don't want - sometimes genuinely poor performers and sometimes just people they no longer like the look of.
What is unclear from your question is the nature of your bad reference. Is this something that exists in writing or is it the case that you are being bad-mouthed verbally within your previous employer? We assume it's the latter, since when you were officially made redundant, you must have been given some documentation to this effect. Your previous employer would then be on very shaky legal ground if it were issuing written references that contradicted that.
Depending on the circumstances you could have a case against them for defamation, malicious falsehood or negligence. In fact an employer is also on shaky ground if it is verbally telling people that someone was dismissed for poor performance when they were in fact made redundant, but of course it's much harder to prove what is being said informally around a company.
What should you do? First of all, don't bother trying to get another job with this bank. They appear to be rather bad employers who do not treat people with respect - and they clearly don't value you. It's a lose-lose situation.
Do, however, try to set the record straight with your previous employer. Contact the HR department to clarify in writing the reason for your dismissal. Get a document saying your employment was ended due to redundancy and a 'To whom it may concern' HR reference stating the basic facts of your employment history with them. Then focus your efforts on getting a job elsewhere.
For a more positive reference go to people you have worked with successfully and ask if they will provide you with a testimonial. This could be someone at your previous employer (if there is anyone there prepared to present a better view of you) or at earlier employers or even clients or suppliers. Your aim is to build up a body of evidence that is stronger than any whispering campaign within your previous employer.
Finally, don't be disheartened. If this is the first time your competence has been questioned, it is bound to be a blow. But it happens even to people who are exceptionally good at what they do. Focus on your strengths, spruce up your CV, even consider a further qualification. But above all, move on.
A reader advises:
You need to appreciate that when you work in the City of London, you are very much at the mercy of the 'dog eat dog' culture. Your managers can oust you claiming it was a legitimate redundancy, and then cover up the fact that it wasn't. A poor reference is a problem, but not an insurmountable one.
You could make a Subject Access Request to your former employer to obtain personal and performance data and thus understand exactly why you were 'let go'. If you feel that your reference is unfair you could challenge your former managers, which might result in an amended reference, but I doubt it. Even though the Data Protection Act is designed to protect the rights of the individual, you will find that employers can play ducks and drakes with the disclosure exemption provisions, leaving you as the employee with very little recourse.
Move on. I'd concentrate on networking as much as possible. Make a list of all your contacts, and then go out and gladhand them all. Take a look at your interview skills and beef them up if you can - IT professionals are notoriously bad at this. Last, and most important, from someone who's been through job loss twice: Get out there and get on with it. Being a victim will not get you the job you want and deserve.
Next week's question: I moved a month ago from one City of London firm to another to build up a business. Right away I realized that it would be extremely difficult to recreate the success I had had with my old firm for reasons of which I was unaware when I moved. My old firm has asked me to go back, but everyone says that if I were to return, I would destroy my career and would not be taken seriously in the industry. What should I do?
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