Originally Posted by CBER It is my understanding that an employer cant provide anything but date of employment. You can contact a co-worker/supervisor and ask if they will write you a reference and see how that goes. I am not sure but I dont think they can even say if you are eligible for re-hire.Hospital HR departments are very aware of this issue and so should a recruiter in my opionion.
Gayle
Unfortunately, this isn't true. (I am a Nurse Recruiter, so I deal with referencing all the time.)
Many employers choose not to provide any information except verification of employment dates, but this is because of liability and not because of law. Employers are allowed to say anything they want to, so long as it is true. In fact many employers give quite a bit of information about current and former employees.
My best advice to someone with more than one potentially negative reference is to provide names of former charge nurses, house supervisors or other direct supervisors where you worked to provide positive information about you. Obtaining evaluations from your HR department (they are obligated to provide you with copies from your personnel file) is also a good idea.
The most important thing is to
always, always, always be honest. We are more likely to overlook a negative experience if someone 'fesses up to it up front. If we find out that someone covered something up, they are down the road and we won't consider them for any position, ever.
Just my 2 cents worth... best of luck in your job search. Try to remember that recruiters are human and have the capacity to understand that there are some nasty managers and unethical companies out there. I know that I personally try to give applicants the benefit of the doubt if at all possible.
Jami
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