When you see this:

Quote :

"May we inquire of your present employer regarding your experience and qualifications?"

What do you put? On the one hand I'm proud of what I do and have nothing to hide, and my boss would probably be cool about it, BUT I also don't want to piss him off by having them call him up and ask about my qualifications? If you put yes, do you let your boss know your looking around or might get a call, or just let them surprise him? Do employers see it as a bad thing if you tell them no? Again, I think he'd understand, because the job would be almost a $20k raise, but wanted TWWs opinion on what you do?

7/5/2010 8:15:01 PM

you should say yes

and IIRC all the employer can say is that you worked there, what your position is, and for how long

7/5/2010 8:24:08 PM

^ I don't know about that...


I've seen little bubble sheets (scaling their performance on different things) come in through faxes for managers. This is when I worked at the college. It was for some woman who quit and im sure he filled that bitch all the way out to the neg.

7/5/2010 8:37:07 PM

Quote :

"employer can say is that you worked there, what your position is, and for how long"

I also think this is correct. Im pretty sure your previous employer is not allowed to discuss your working ability, why you were terminated (if applicable), or any other aspect of your employment, even if you were fired for stealing money.

7/5/2010 8:41:53 PM

^ Not sure where you two hear that rumor but it is false. When checking references it is encourage to ask as many questions as possible without asking anything that pertains to sex, nationality, race, religion, marital status, age, etc. Here is a model of what is acceptable to ask:

http://humanresources.about.com/cs/policysamples/a/refcheckform_2.htm

7/5/2010 9:08:41 PM

Quote :

" I also think this is correct. Im pretty sure your previous employer is not allowed to discuss your working ability, why you were terminated (if applicable), or any other aspect of your employment, even if you were fired for stealing money."

It still doesn't answer the question of pissing off management. I would probably warn them...let them know that you don't hate your job or anything, but that you're trying to advance your career and that you're exploring possibilities. They still might not like it, but they wouldn't fault anyone for wanting to better themselves.

If they find out that you're job hunting the hard way, they might hold it against you. They won't be able to screw you from getting the job that you're applying for since they can only be asked and answer certain questions, but they can hinder any future chances of advancement or give you a lot less incentive to stay by assigning crappy work or incredibly difficult work that is exhausting and hardly rewarding.

7/5/2010 9:24:07 PM

HR folks won't usually disclose information. But your reference, typically your old supervisor, can talk about certain things. And it differs place to place. For ex. I know for a fact that the HR people at my last job can only disclose employment dates, title, and salary. There are things my old boss is not supposed to disclose as well. But there's plenty he can talk about.

And even if there are some things they're not supposed to talk about; let's face it, people talk and you would never know if they did or didn't.


This is not uncommon. If you're looking for a job and your current employer doesn't know, it's understandable.

I've actually interviewed people on their lunch breaks/extended lunch breaks because they didn't want their employer to find out they were interviewing elsewhere. You can be fired for just about anything in NC. It's very understandable to be concerned about your employer finding out. - even though you may not be for those reasons.

I would try to add something to indicate that it's fine if they're going to make you an offer. And typically, someone isn't gonna go through the trouble of checking references unless they're interested in hiring you.

and like ^ said, it may be best to just let them know you're aren't necessarily looking to leave, but you're hearing someone out about a position that would be a significant move up.

[Edited on July 5, 2010 at 9:28 PM. Reason : .]

7/5/2010 9:25:53 PM

Thanks for the info. While I was waiting to hear back from ya'll, I accidentally submitted it online and at the time had it checked on no. They didn't have a form for references, as I have several of those from my most recent previous employer.

Again, I like my job and my boss is great. But as a state employee, I have not received a raise in years, and probably won't with the state budget as tight as it is. This position would jump me up 6-10 pay grades and still be a state job, so it would be great. I think this is the only way that I am going to see anymore money anytime soon without going private sector and losing all of my accrued time, retirement, benefits, etc. My coworker said he turned down a job offer last week, so I'm going to talk to him and see if he put that they could contact the boss and whether he gave him a heads up about it. But continue the discussion here please, as I think I can change my information.

7/5/2010 9:40:22 PM

Good luck getting raises from private companies, too.

7/6/2010 10:13:45 AM

^I know that, but my point is, my current employers tech department consists of 1 other guy and the boss. He won't retire for almost a decade, and that's the only chance I have for advancement. This other potential employer has hundreds in their tech department, which would give me a far better chance of advancing my pay by promotion if not by a raise.

7/6/2010 10:38:03 AM

If you work for the state go ahead and tell your boss, then check yes. It isn't as big a deal in the public sector, especially if you're applying to another state position.

7/6/2010 10:45:59 AM

It is perfectly fine to answer "no" to the question in the OP in most situations. Most companies, specifically when hiring for upper level positions, respect the fact that a candidate might not want his/her current employer to know they are job searching.

[Edited on July 6, 2010 at 11:09 AM. Reason : a]

7/6/2010 11:02:59 AM

Also, if they call and the manager seems annoyed/angry/surprised that they are getting a call from the interviewer, then that could cost you some points seeing as you weren't professional enough to warn your boss or get their permission first.

7/7/2010 10:55:39 AM

I usually check no, because chances are the company looking at you will ask you first or at least inquire about why you put "no." I doubt it would prevent them from pursuing you as a candidate for checking no, and most would understand that you are still employed and that is why you don't want them to call without your permission.

7/7/2010 11:07:45 AM

I always put no for my current job, yes for all the previous ones.

7/7/2010 11:15:36 AM

^ I thought that was standard across the board.

I'm really surprised by the answers here.

[Edited on July 7, 2010 at 12:33 PM. Reason : a]

7/7/2010 12:33:21 PM

I think the problem is that a lot of people in this thread are confusing "present employer" with "previous employer".

[Edited on July 7, 2010 at 3:27 PM. Reason : a]

7/7/2010 3:27:40 PM

Yes I was asking about my PRESENT employer. I saw my previous boss yesterday for something unrelated and mentioned this application. She said she would love to be a reference for me (she had said this before, but just wanted to give her a heads-up that I might actually use her soon), so I have previous employers covered. Just wanted to know about CURRENT employers.

[Edited on July 7, 2010 at 3:43 PM. Reason : ]

7/7/2010 3:43:19 PM

\/

[Edited on July 7, 2010 at 3:55 PM. Reason : \/]

7/7/2010 3:54:50 PM

It's pretty standard to answer "no" to contacting current employers. I mean, it's only smart to have another job lined up before letting your current job know you plan to quit.

7/7/2010 3:54:50 PM

Apologies for momentarily derailing your lounge thread:

djeternal, please get your ass to tech talk and answer my question about this clear modem. Thankyou, that is all.

7/7/2010 4:00:32 PM