I was dismissed from my job, should I provide a reference to my new prospective employer?

Question

It's been a couple of weeks that I was dismissed from my previous job. I have an interview this week and I'm not sure whether to tell the new prospective employers that I was dismissed as it may give them the wrong impression and may hinder my chances at being given an offer.

The problem is that I may need to provide references, I can provide references for previous jobs I've had but will it be necessary to provide a reference for my most recent job (the one I was dismissed from)?

If so, could there be a chance that my previous employers will mention (from the reference) that I was dismissed or are they not allowed to go into such detail?

I haven't mentioned anything yet but I am pretty certain they will ask me why I left my previous job at the interview as I've spoken to many recruitment agencies and when I had a interviews at other places it was a common question they asked.

I'm just a little worried that if I don't mention that I was dismissed it may come out at some point.

Answer 1

The problem is that I may need to provide references, I can provide references for previous jobs I've had but will it be necessary to provide a reference for my most recent job (the one I was dismissed from)?

This will depend on the prospective employer. You should expect to be asked why you left your previous position, so at some level, you will have to answer that question and be prepared to answer this question. One option you have is to ask a co-worker that you got along with to act as your reference. You can also sometimes get away with saying:

“<Previous Employer> does not yet know that I am looking for a new job. Would it be possible for me to provide you references for past employers?"

I generally use this when I am applying to a new position before I have left my current employer.

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If so, could there be a chance that my previous employers will mention (from the reference) that I was dismissed or are they not allowed to go into such detail?

The answer to this question will differ by country. In the UK, a previous employer may not provide a negative reference (only a neutral reference—i.e., person X worked here from Start Date to End Date). In the US, a company of over 100+ employees will almost always have a neutral reference policy (same reference as above in the UK)—and this applies even if you were fired for cause.

Note the problem though—if the next company calls your previous employer, only to verify dates of employment, they will be able to confirm the dates of employment, so make sure you don’t sugarcoat the fact that you don’t work there anymore.

Answer 2

There is a miscommunication here. When a company says "reference", what they are usually looking for is someone to talk about how good you are at your work. It doesn't need to be an official statement from the company, it can be a former coworker who you worked with who is willing to say that you're a good, skilled worker. Is there absolutely nobody at your previous company who will say that about you?

Regarding your dismissal, in many countries (there is no locale tag on this question so I don't know if this is applicable to you) there is something called a Record of Employment (ROE). Your ROE contains every company you've ever worked at and what happened with your employment there. Companies have access to their employees' ROEs, and usually check it as part of a background check, before an offer is extended. They will know you got terminated from your last company, whether you provide a reference or not. You can't get away from that one.

In the case the company is looking for a confirmation of your employment, most companies will just call previous companies and ask, without your approval. Companies (at least in North America) are legally required to provide the dates of work of former employees, and are legally prohibited from providing any judgment on that employee's performance. If you live in a locale with similar laws, then providing your previous company's contact info should't hurt you, as that company is legally not allowed to badmouth you to the new company.

Answer 3

Another way back into the workforce, depending on the local situation and your profession, is to take a couple of contract positions. These are generally less thoroughly vetted, since you can be 'terminated' much more easily, and are a way of building some 'distance' between you and the problematic employment.