Originally posted by Henry Wong:
I don't know about reference checks themselves, but being a reference has been a no-no for years. In the last big company that I worked for, I was explicitly told that the only thing that I was allowed to say during a check was to confirm the employment.
I wasn't allowed to say anything good or bad. IMHO, I thought it was totally stupid. Quite frankly, people are generally references to people they like. How can there be a rule that prevents you from helping out friends?
Henry
This is a common rule. In theory your references wil only be good. In reality, they aren't always so. If a person makes a negative comment, it could be ground for a lawsuit agains the company, so they don't want to risk it. (Don't take my
word for it, ask any lawyer.) I know some major companies where they have that policy, however employes there, when asked, often say "Officially, I cannot say anything about him. However, I can give you my personal opinion..." which is not given on behalf of the company. (Not quite black and white, but safer.)
--Mark