I’ve been an agency driver now for about three years so not had much opportunity to get to know anyone properly, and to be honest - I’m a bit of a loner so a bit short even of friends who could give me a refference and I’ve fallen out with my last two employers quite spectacularly so they’re no good to me either - Was doing well enough with the jobs, its just been personality clashes but isn’t really going to help much. But this is, in part, why driving suits me so well - I’ve got the self dicipline and initiative to work alone with little (nearly no) direction from my superiors, which is just what I want.
I can scrape two refferences at a push but cant keep relying on them and have just got an application form that wants three any suggestions that might help?
I get on well with a few t.m’s I see regularly but need to speak to them first - Could do with getting this application form off quick though. Would you be offended if someone contacted you for a reference out of the blue when the applicant hadn’t asked your permission?
I would if the person was only a casual acqaintance.
If you know a couple of TM’s , give them a ring and ask if its OK to give their details.
I had a similar problem last time I was applying for a job(albeit a few years ago) and i was fortunate to have one genuine reference,I got around the others by “working” for companies that had ceased trading and couldn’t be contacted.
Worked for me!
You got any hobbies mate? I use my boxing coach as a referee and he has no problems with it. Other then that its crap in it I cant use my ex gaffa and the app for my new just had “must be ex employer” so I just ignored it and wrote one before as I know he will give me a glowing ref as will boxing coach. Look outside the box of employment and see what you come up with.
I’ve been an agency driver now for about three years so not had much opportunity to get to know anyone properly, and to be honest - I’m a bit of a loner so a bit short even of friends who could give me a refference and I’ve fallen out with my last two employers quite spectacularly so they’re no good to me either - Was doing well enough with the jobs, its just been personality clashes but isn’t really going to help much. But this is, in part, why driving suits me so well - I’ve got the self dicipline and initiative to work alone with little (nearly no) direction from my superiors, which is just what I want.
I can scrape two refferences at a push but cant keep relying on them and have just got an application form that wants three any suggestions that might help?
I get on well with a few t.m’s I see regularly but need to speak to them first - Could do with getting this application form off quick though. Would you be offended if someone contacted you for a reference out of the blue when the applicant hadn’t asked your permission?
Don’t give any, up front. Just write ‘references available on request’ on the form.
It’s not sensible to give a prospective employer carte blanche to make possibly damaging contact with your references (one could be your existing employer for all they know), unless they were all but committed to employing you.
That should give you time to sort out a third (if they really insist on one) reference.
When I used to be an employer I placed very little faith in referances !
Oddly, even after 5yrs out of it, I still seem to get the odd occasional request for a referance & I never hesitate to give what I feel is being asked of me. A truthfull & honest opinion of my experience of working with the person they are looking to employ.
No one is daft enough to put down a contact who is going to give a bad referance are they ? (which is why I never ever gave them much faith)
I’ve been an on/off agency driver for 2yrs now & I’ll tell you a little secret, I’ve rung one or two of my previous jobs for a referance & been pleasantly surprised !
I’ve been an agency driver now for about three years so not had much opportunity to get to know anyone properly, and to be honest - I’m a bit of a loner so a bit short even of friends who could give me a refference and I’ve fallen out with my last two employers quite spectacularly so they’re no good to me either - Was doing well enough with the jobs, its just been personality clashes but isn’t really going to help much. But this is, in part, why driving suits me so well - I’ve got the self dicipline and initiative to work alone with little (nearly no) direction from my superiors, which is just what I want.
I can scrape two refferences at a push but cant keep relying on them and have just got an application form that wants three any suggestions that might help?
I get on well with a few t.m’s I see regularly but need to speak to them first - Could do with getting this application form off quick though. Would you be offended if someone contacted you for a reference out of the blue when the applicant hadn’t asked your permission?
You can give them my details if you want, but it’ll cost you a tenner.
del949:
I would if the person was only a casual acqaintance.
If you know a couple of TM’s , give them a ring and ask if its OK to give their details.
I had a similar problem last time I was applying for a job(albeit a few years ago) and i was fortunate to have one genuine reference,I got around the others by “working” for companies that had ceased trading and couldn’t be contacted.
Worked for me!
Yep, just tell them you have been working for the same employer for x years but he has gone bust now. Just get a personal reference, they don’t care who it’s from, they just need a piece of paper that they will never read, get your Mum to do it.
Rob K:
You can give them my details if you want, but it’ll cost you a tenner.
10p and you’re on
Cheers guys, nothing I hadn’t already sussed really. To be honest, I was hoping for some sort of miricle cure Tiz difficult though.
I think possibly the best thing to do would be to use one or both of mine and put “more refferences available if required” in the second / third box and do my best to get something sorted quick!
chester:
or do you not want them to know your looking elsewhere?
Nail and head mate, having heard horror stories about agencies making false accusations I’d rather not - heard of an agency telling someones new employer he’d been banned for drink driving! And at least one of the agencies I work for is prone to sinking that low
Harry Monk:
Yep, just tell them you have been working for the same employer for x years but he has gone bust now. Just get a personal reference, they don’t care who it’s from, they just need a piece of paper that they will never read, get your Mum to do it.
Most jobs iv had never ask for references, agencys are always good enough to supply a reference tho. when i was a young dafty with a bad rep and no refs i used to use mates ie john smith became john smith transport, was a piece of cake, this worked with a number of blue chip companys…
Grayham:
Do references ever get followed up these days?
Every time at our place and if there’s ‘no-one available’ then either the start date is delayed or the job offer withdrawn.
The reference follow-up is by an initial phone call, during which time the person is asked if they’ll confirm in writing what they’ve said on the phone and then a form is sent out through the post to them.
Only had a couple that I’m aware of where, at the mention of a follow-up in writing, they’ve become rather hesitant . . . . . probably made-up ‘John Smith Transport’ types me thinks!!
As i said most companys dont bother with refs, but if they do and you have to use a mate ie john smith transport why woud a phone call and letter be a problem, unless your a mates dimwitted. some years ago i had to use this method with a couple of blue chip companys and had no problem… lifes only hard if u make it hard
pavaroti:
A but if they do and you have to use a mate ie john smith transport why woud a phone call and letter be a problem,
Cover letter not on headed paper, company registration number, company not listed anywhere, etc etc. It’s easy enough to see though that scam if those checking the references want to or can be bothered. I’m sure that there’s plenty that don’t bother though, blue-chip or otherwise!!
I’d be honest & put you’ve been on Agency work for quite a while but can provide contact details for charachter references from folk you know & also ask the TMs you say you know if you can put them down as contacts. I don’t know what goes on these days but a few years ago a mate of mine put a load of rubbish on his form & it backfired on him big time. He was taken on subject to references being taken up during his probation period. Obviously there weren’t any available when the firm applied for them & he had to come clean. He may have got & even kept the job if he’d told the truth in the first place. If you can come up with a couple of charachter references & put a couple of firms down wo have packed in you might be OK as long as you can do the job they might not go for referenes anyway. Far better than putting the wrong info on the form in my book.
Whats the problem useing agencys as references anyway? There as good as anyone if not better because will prove your flexibility and multi experience and will know you well if you have been with them a while…
any suggestions that might help?
Tiz difficult though.
there is a “standard” type question form for this
