Referee not responding to reference request

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Laila

12/05/20 at 1:38PM UTC

Career

Referee not responding to reference request

I finally got a job after many interviews over the past two months. Now the problem is chasing my references and one of them is not responding at all. I worked for their company from 2014-2019 then I worked for another company from 2019-Sep 2020. I'm not sure what's going to happen. I fear that I am going to lose this new opportunity due to lack of reference.

8 Comments

Debra Sesholtz

106

Marketing strategist driving results

12/05/20 at 2:09PM UTC

What type of references do you need to provide? If they are personal references, then they don’t necessarily need to be company specific. If you need to verify you worked at a company, then your future employer should be able to call HR to verify the company employed you and the dates of employment. If your regencies is not responding, can you find someone else to provide a reference?

1 Reply

Laila

12/05/20 at 6:49PM UTC

They asked for professional references which in my case the companies I worked for before. They normally call and email the referees but they say it's the candidate who is supposed to chase their references. I don't really have anyone else to give me references.

Keri Wilson

765

Business Excellence Consultant

12/05/20 at 3:56PM UTC

I assume the offer is “pending reference checks”? In all my years in HR I’ve never been concerned if I can’t get in touch with a reference. Frankly I’ve never asked a candidate for additional references if some didn’t respond. Many companies discourage their employees from giving a reference. In today’s litigious environment, simply confirming employment dates may be all they can give. If this company is screwing around with you because they can’t track down a reference, either offer up other names or walk. There’s something fishy there...

Essence Dashtaray

12/08/20 at 11:37PM UTC

Do you have other references (maybe even colleagues) that might be open to acting as a reference? I'm sorry you're having trouble hearing from someone you hoped would provide a reference for you.

1 Reply

Laila

12/08/20 at 11:41PM UTC

Aww thank you! I have asked my colleagues who work there and most of them were happy to do so. It's weird when you gave your best to the job and gets nothing back.

1 Reply

Essence Dashtaray

12/09/20 at 12AM UTC

You're valid in your feelings. Nonetheless, I hope it doesn't take away from what you learned there and the people you met along the way. I'm glad other colleagues offered to help you out! Wishing you all the best with your new role!

User edited comment on 12/09/20 at 12:01AM UTC

Lillis Taylor

Social Entrepreneur in Birmingham, AL

12/10/20 at 9:06PM UTC

I'm sorry to hear that your former company isn't responding to your reference request...I agree it's unusual that this new company wants you to reach out and procure the reference. Usually, in my experience, it's simply your job as the applicant to provide up-to-date contact information. Moving forward, you might consider identifying one or two co-workers who'd be willing to provide references after working on a project or collaboration. If someone is willing to recommend you on a site like LinkedIn or FGB, you might be able to more easily follow up with them when you needed a reference in the future.

Vela Sivasankaran

12/15/20 at 1:12PM UTC

Sometimes company policy makes them forward reference requests to the HR and so, may be, you can see if you can get a standard letter from the HR. Example stealth mode companies