Checking References AFTER Job Offer is Accepted

[MikeL]

So, I accepted the offer at the new company and will be moving this Saturday. I've already quit my old job and will be signing a lease shortly at my new place. I've signed the job offer and filled out all the necessary HR paperwork.

I got an email tonight telling me they will be contacting my references and performing checks over the last few days (background check already came back fine a couple weeks ago).

While I understand this isn't that odd of a practice I find it a bit odd seeing as offers are often contingent on references.

What if one of my references throws me under a bus and they pull the offer (don't believe that will happen). I just find that interesting as it could totally screw someone.. hell it could screw me! You never know.

 

[Hoho]

That's weird, usually they check BEFORE they send you an offer. Never had that happen to me before.

 

[Blankpage]

A guy I worked with and I didn't like called me for a reference a year after we worked together. He was no more a fan of mine than I was of him. No one else thought much of him either which is one of the reasons he called me.

I told him he can use my name but if anyone calls I will be honest in that we didn't work well together. He must have really been out of options because said he would go ahead and give my name.

A week late he shoots an email thanking me and saying he got the job. Two weeks later, after he was hired, the company that hired him called me for a reference.
I told them I had 6 people working for me including him and if I had to rehire them he would be the 6th and that I didn't like working with him. I didn't throw him under the bus but no way was I going to BS for him.



:

 

[Silence]

I've actually had a new employer's HR staff lie to me that they checked my references and that they were good (they didn't reach out to any of them). :loco :laughing :laughing

 

[DTM74]

Doesn't everyone just put 3 people down who's going to lie and blow sunshine up their ass? Why put anyone's name down who is a risk?

 

[jh2586]

Honestly, if one of the references YOU listed throws you under the bus, that's on you. Don't list anyone that is questionable. You need to make sure that beyond a shadow of a doubt, those people listed won't screw you over. You should also let those references know that you are listing them for a potential job offer and politely ask them to give you good praise.

 

[bikeama]

I did check references before a job offer. Drug test and back ground check after offer letter. Did background check before offer for years, bean counter looked at the cost and decided to change policy to after. Yes if you lie on your app you were fired.

I have had calls after people used me for a reference without letting me know. I would only say yes they worked here and give the dates of employment. NOTHING else. In CA you can be sued if an employee does not get a job because of your reference and an employer can sue you if they hire a person and you gave them a good reference on a bad employee.

Retired HR Manager.

 

[MikeL]

All my references are former managers/bosses who I got along with well and had very few issues, if any. I've already warned all of them and let them know they should be receiving a phone call.

I just find it weird, wouldn't you check these things BEFORE offering?

 

[byke]

You can see the potential issue with checking references of your current employer before, it could easily leave you with no place to work. Congrats on the new job, btw, I hope it works out for ya.

 

[Mr Pepsi]

This is certainly NOT uncommon. They extended the offer based on you being truthful. If your references bring to light you were lying, they simply let you know they have retracted their offer due to inconsistencies with your statements and references.

 

[wazzuFreddo]

Jobs that require security clearances they start the process after your first day at work.

A couple months down the road, if you aren't approved for a security clearance, you are out on the street.

 

[FXCLM5]

Jobs that require security clearances they start the process after your first day at work.

A couple months down the road, if you aren't approved for a security clearance, you are out on the street.

Lol exactly why our gov functions the way it does. Open the doors first then we will pay extra time and $ to sort.....fukn full retard i gotta say

 

[littlebeast]

A guy I worked with and I didn't like called me for a reference a year after we worked together. He was no more a fan of mine than I was of him. No one else thought much of him either which is one of the reasons he called me.

I told him he can use my name but if anyone calls I will be honest in that we didn't work well together. He must have really been out of options because said he would go ahead and give my name.

A week late he shoots an email thanking me and saying he got the job. Two weeks later, after he was hired, the company that hired him called me for a reference.
I told them I had 6 people working for me including him and if I had to rehire them he would be the 6th and that I didn't like working with him. I didn't throw him under the bus but no way was I going to BS for him.

:

not sure your thrust. you didn't like the guy? or he wasn't good at his job? from what you've said, it sounds like the former. hopefully there was more involved in the reference check conversation than whether or not you enjoyed working with the dude. double edged sword - no telling how he described his former boss to his future employer (very typical question - who's the best and worst, and why). honesty is definitely the best policy, but it's not a foregone conclusion that that works against him.

 

[wazzuFreddo]

Lol exactly why our gov functions the way it does. Open the doors first then we will pay extra time and $ to sort.....fukn full retard i gotta say

Not just the government, defense contractors like Lockheed, Boeing, and Northrup Grumman work that way as well.

 

[Blankpage]

not sure your thrust. you didn't like the guy? or he wasn't good at his job? from what you've said, it sounds like the former. hopefully there was more involved in the reference check conversation than whether or not you enjoyed working with the dude. double edged sword - no telling how he described his former boss to his future employer (very typical question - who's the best and worst, and why). honesty is definitely the best policy, but it's not a foregone conclusion that that works against him.

I didn't like him, he was okay at his job but not near the level of opinion he had about himself.
Dude was temperamental and no one wanted to work with him. I'd get a call every now and again from someone telling me they couldn't work with him anymore and asking what would I do about it. i suspected he may have been bipolar.
I wanted to fire him but he did get the job done. We eventually transferred him to another project and when I checked in with his coworkers they were making familiar complaints about working with him
Work shouldn't be made a miserable place because of difficult people. You should know when its you and not someone else.

 

[bpw]

Lol exactly why our gov functions the way it does. Open the doors first then we will pay extra time and $ to sort.....fukn full retard i gotta say

Well, the other option is to run a whole bunch of very expensive background checks on people who might not take the job. Not like a highly skilled engineer or whatever is going to wait around for a few months without getting paid.

 

[littlebeast]

I didn't like him, he was okay at his job but not near the level of opinion he had about himself.
Dude was temperamental and no one wanted to work with him. I'd get a call every now and again from someone telling me they couldn't work with him anymore and asking what would I do about it. i suspected he may have been bipolar.
I wanted to fire him but he did get the job done. We eventually transferred him to another project and when I checked in with his coworkers they were making familiar complaints about working with him
Work shouldn't be made a miserable place because of difficult people. You should know when its you and not someone else.

thanks for the response. my company has a policy similar to what someone mentioned previously where when contacted, we are only allowed to affirm that the person worked for us. i've stepped outside of that on occasion for top performers (but will vigorously deny this lol), but there are certain cases where i feel very comfortable quoting policy, and simply saying yes, the person worked here. i NEVER go even remotely negative (also for reasons previously mentioned).

 

[Blankpage]

thanks for the response. my company has a policy similar to what someone mentioned previously where when contacted, we are only allowed to affirm that the person worked for us. i've stepped outside of that on occasion for top performers (but will vigorously deny this lol), but there are certain cases where i feel very comfortable quoting policy, and simply saying yes, the person worked here. i NEVER go even remotely negative (also for reasons previously mentioned).

I had just changed companies when he called for a reference. So I don't think anything I'd say could have hurt my new employer.

 

[littlebeast]

I had just changed companies when he called for a reference. So I don't think anything I'd say could have hurt my new employer.

water under the bridge at this point.

 

[dagle]

wait you guys don't just keep 3 burner phones around? i thought this was barf