Questions for Human Resource Manager

[2China2009]

Sorry this is a little long. I have been a nurse for 24years. I left patient care 2.5 years ago after doing it for my entire career. At that time I had an incident that I was written up for and they essentially were about to first me, but gave me a last warning. Of course no one wants to get fired so I quickly sourced another job and went into private practice with an allergy group. I have applied for a Oncology position at our Childrens hospital about a year ago and did not get it. I am currently wanting to leave my current job to #1 find health insurnace, something more challenging and also has a 40 hr work week. I am concerned that my previous employer from the hospital I was at does not have a good review to give to new hires if I was too look for a different job. What exactly can HR say about a previous employer? In how much detail can they go into? I would also like to know if anyone else has been in this kind of position and what ateps you took to overcome this and become successful again. TIA Laurie

 

[sam_gordon]

Sorry this is a little long. I have been a nurse for 24years. I left patient care 2.5 years ago after doing it for my entire career. At that time I had an incident that I was written up for and they essentially were about to first me, but gave me a last warning. Of course no one wants to get fired so I quickly sourced another job and went into private practice with an allergy group. I have applied for a Oncology position at our Childrens hospital about a year ago and did not get it. I am currently wanting to leave my current job to #1 find health insurnace, something more challenging and also has a 40 hr work week. I am concerned that my previous employer from the hospital I was at does not have a good review to give to new hires if I was too look for a different job. What exactly can HR say about a previous employer? In how much detail can they go into? I would also like to know if anyone else has been in this kind of position and what ateps you took to overcome this and become successful again. TIA Laurie

I'm not in HR, but I'll answer anyway. I think legally, the previous employer can say whatever they want, as long as it's the truth. That being said, many (most?) companies have policies about what can be said. I think at bare minimum, they'll say how long you worked and whether you're eligible for rehire.

You might be able to get a friend to call your previous employer and act like they're checking references to see what they're willing to say.

 

[ronandannette]

I'm not in HR, but I'll answer anyway. I think legally, the previous employer can say whatever they want, as long as it's the truth. That being said, many (most?) companies have policies about what can be said. I think at bare minimum, they'll say how long you worked and whether you're eligible for rehire.

You might be able to get a friend to call your previous employer and act like they're checking references to see what they're willing to say.

I'm not in HR either, but I am a hiring manager. The bolded is our "official" response to any reference check and I think it's pretty common. But depending on who's talking to whom, things do get said. In our relatively small industry, many, many people are known to one another and informal, anecdotal information is exchanged all the time.

I for one am glad; if we find out an applicant that has had significant performance challenges in previous positions I can honestly say that applicant will not be considered worth the risk for us. Sorry, OP - that may sound harsh but if your conduct in your former job involved issues like patient safety or honesty or excessive absenteeism, potential employers deserve to know. I wish you well.

 

[sonnyjane]

Just echoing the others, even if it's not what you want to hear. The minimum is basically what were the dates of employment and is that person eligible for rehire. That's if they're just researching based on resume. When I have been contacted as a reference, they ask many more questions - obviously I don't HAVE to answer but, the way I do answer tells them all they need to know.

 

[ronandannette]

Sorry this is a little long. I have been a nurse for 24years. I left patient care 2.5 years ago after doing it for my entire career. At that time I had an incident that I was written up for and they essentially were about to first me, but gave me a last warning. Of course no one wants to get fired so I quickly sourced another job and went into private practice with an allergy group. I have applied for a Oncology position at our Childrens hospital about a year ago and did not get it. I am currently wanting to leave my current job to #1 find health insurnace, something more challenging and also has a 40 hr work week. I am concerned that my previous employer from the hospital I was at does not have a good review to give to new hires if I was too look for a different job. What exactly can HR say about a previous employer? In how much detail can they go into? I would also like to know if anyone else has been in this kind of position and what ateps you took to overcome this and become successful again. TIA Laurie

This advice is based on my own opinion and experience only but I strongly urge to you to be honest with any potential employer if you get an interview. We look far more objectively on a candidate that will admit to and explain previous difficulties and in those cases we can much more fairly evaluate what is and is not going to be a deal-breaker. OTOH, we recently rescinded an offer to a candidate that chose not to disclose some very pertinent information about why she left her last position. That's duplicitous as far as I'm concerned.

 

[PlainJane]

I’m not an HR manager, but I do know in the US laws concerning this issue vary by state. I heard about a state recently where employers could basically say whatever they wanted about a former employee and the company would be protected against slander claims. I would check the laws of the state in which you are applying.

 

[CF'er]

It may not be HR you have to worry about. I work in a lab. The lab world is small. People know everyone. My husband in particular knows a LOT of people in a LOT of labs. He gets calls frequently about people looking to get hired on. I'm not sure how the nursing world is but I know alot of nurses who all know each other.

 

[Disney Doll]

I would agree with a PP who said that it’s probably best for you to bring up you situation and give your side of the story and it wouldn’t hurt to add the lessons you learned from the situation and how you are going to apply them going forward.

 

[tvguy]

Not in HR, and don't know the law, but many reference calls come to my phone extension. We can't say anything and HR won't take those calls. We hire an outside independent company to deal with that.
They only information that company has is employment dates and salary. And the person called has to have the salary information and employment dates because the outside company is only allowed to answer "yes" or "no" to questions, they cannot provide information.

 

[awalker1015]

I’m both a nurse and now an HR Manager. I don’t ever give out information other than title and position and dates employed. I dont even give rehire eligibility anymore. Too easy to manipulate. If someone quits and gives proper notice but was a horrible employee and about to be fired- “technically” they are eligible for rehire but I’m not putting my name to that. So across the board I decline to answer that question.

But ultimately in most states provided you are offering truthful, objective data about former employee, you can do so.

 

[JimMIA]

I’m both a nurse and now an HR Manager. I don’t ever give out information other than title and position and dates employed. I dont even give rehire eligibility anymore. Too easy to manipulate. If someone quits and gives proper notice but was a horrible employee and about to be fired- “technically” they are eligible for rehire but I’m not putting my name to that. So across the board I decline to answer that question.

But ultimately in most states provided you are offering truthful, objective data about former employee, you can do so.

I was going to post something almost exactly like this. Title, position, dates of employment. Nothing more.

It's up to the hiring organization to make their own evaluation of a prospective employee -- not the former employer. An employee could be an absolute nightmare in one workplace and a perfect fit in another...and vice versa.

 

[sunshine1178]

I recommend that you check out the “ask a manager” website. You’ll probably find similar questions in the archives, or you can submit your specific question. (For quick feedback from “the crowd”, you can post your question on the Friday open thread.)

 

[disneychrista]

I've been in HR for 15+ years. An employer can say anything that they know to be true or believe to be true. Most however will only confirm dates of employment, job title and possibly ending salary.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Sorry this is a little long. I have been a nurse for 24years. I left patient care 2.5 years ago after doing it for my entire career. At that time I had an incident that I was written up for and they essentially were about to first me, but gave me a last warning. Of course no one wants to get fired so I quickly sourced another job and went into private practice with an allergy group. I have applied for a Oncology position at our Childrens hospital about a year ago and did not get it. I am currently wanting to leave my current job to #1 find health insurnace, something more challenging and also has a 40 hr work week. I am concerned that my previous employer from the hospital I was at does not have a good review to give to new hires if I was too look for a different job. What exactly can HR say about a previous employer? In how much detail can they go into? I would also like to know if anyone else has been in this kind of position and what ateps you took to overcome this and become successful again. TIA Laurie

Can you find out what the rules were for your previous employer? That's what really matters is what your previous employer's rules are.

When I worked for the insurance company the only thing they were allowed to say was I currently employed with them and that was it. In order to do that I had to give whoever was requesting it the number to call (which was a 1-800 #) and the verification code (something like 6 or 7 numbers) in order to get information on me.

 

[Katie Dawn]

I work in HR. We don't release any information unless the other company can send us a release that the former employee has signed where they give us permission to release the information.

If the former employee doesn't want to sign a release, then I'm sure that sends a message to the potential new employer.

 

[ronandannette]

I've been in HR for 15+ years. An employer can say anything that they know to be true or believe to be true. Most however will only confirm dates of employment, job title and possibly ending salary.

Yes, and that information is generally worthless to a potential employer. What I need to know about is past instances of willful misconduct, honesty and absenteeism. I will go to fairly great lengths to find a trustworthy source.

Luckily we have a deep reach into our local industry and don’t consider candidates without direct previous experience, so we can always find a former boss or collegue. We always inform a candidate who we plan to talk to. If they’re aware the reference might not be positive we invite them to tell us upfront, which is what I have advised the OP to do.

 

[TheIncredibles!]

Sorry this is a little long. I have been a nurse for 24years. I left patient care 2.5 years ago after doing it for my entire career. At that time I had an incident that I was written up for and they essentially were about to first me, but gave me a last warning. Of course no one wants to get fired so I quickly sourced another job and went into private practice with an allergy group. I have applied for a Oncology position at our Childrens hospital about a year ago and did not get it. I am currently wanting to leave my current job to #1 find health insurnace, something more challenging and also has a 40 hr work week. I am concerned that my previous employer from the hospital I was at does not have a good review to give to new hires if I was too look for a different job. What exactly can HR say about a previous employer? In how much detail can they go into? I would also like to know if anyone else has been in this kind of position and what ateps you took to overcome this and become successful again. TIA Laurie

Legally a company is not bound in what they can and cannot reveal and they are protected as long as what they reveal is factual. The truth/facts however can be subjective as we all know so company policy drives what an HR person can and cannot disclose. A hiring person has all the tricks they need to find a way around that though with creative questioning or by finding coworkers or other people outside of HR to ask. A HR person giving out details also can disclose just with the way they give the facts, the tone they use etc. Example "Is the person eligible for rehire." You can said "Yes". "Yeeeees......." "Technically..... yes they are eligible". You can answer the question and still make it known that get across that yes this person is eligible to rehire but I'd only do so if the hounds of hell were breathing over my shoulder.

How do you overcome this? Be honest and upfront. When in the interview if you are not asked about your job experience or why you left your job then make a point to bring it up. Talk up the years you worked there, talk about how you had an unfortunate experience that let you know a change was in order so you gave notice(Be clear that it was you choosing to leave not the other way around) and you felt you needed a change in direction. Mention you gave notice and started work immediately at the new place etc. You did that for blah blah blah years but felt the pull back to direct patient care etc or whatever. Get it out there, be quick about why you left, focus on you leaving because you needed a change and wanted to try something new etc.

 

[disneychrista]

Yes, and that information is generally worthless to a potential employer. What I need to know about is past instances of willful misconduct, honesty and absenteeism. I will go to fairly great lengths to find a trustworthy source.

Not saying it is right or even helpful, just saying that this is the way it is.

 

[2China2009]

I just wanted to thank everyone for your suggestions and comments about my post. I do have a call out to my former HR and should hear back from them tomorrow. I also agree if I need to explain a past incident that I would totally do that. Always honest and ways I have resolved this. I am thankful at my current job one of my MD's will be writing a amazing letter of recommendation for me along with 2 other employees. I can just use the MD as my manager and not have to deal with my manager that runs the office.

 

[sam_gordon]

I just wanted to thank everyone for your suggestions and comments about my post. I do have a call out to my former HR and should hear back from them tomorrow. I also agree if I need to explain a past incident that I would totally do that. Always honest and ways I have resolved this. I am thankful at my current job one of my MD's will be writing a amazing letter of recommendation for me along with 2 other employees. I can just use the MD as my manager and not have to deal with my manager that runs the office.

I'm still new in the hiring process, but I don't call the people listed as references. I also won't call HR. Why? Because I assume the people listed as references would be giving good ones (otherwise why would you include them) and HR would give just bare bones information (which doesn't help). I'll either call people I know or have one of my employees call people they know.