Afraid to put "Do Not Contact Supervisor" on Applications

[AnaBanana.RN, RN]

Hello,

I am a new grad nurse and am applying for jobs. I previously worked as a home care aide, but unfortunately my supervisor no longer works there. I only directly dealt with her. I have tried contacting her to ask if it is okay to use her as a reference and have not received a reply back. I don't have her personal email either. A lot of applications are asking whether or not it is okay to contact the supervisor. I feel that it looks really bad if I put "Do Not Contact Supervisor" and there is no area where I can leave a comment explaining why. I feel that this may raise a red flag to anyone reading the application and make it so I don't even get an interview. Any thoughts on the matter would be appreciated.

[Jedrnurse, BSN, RN]

You can certainly still use the job as a reference. The person taking the call can confirm your employment. I would list the person who was your supervisor and let the home care company tell the reference checker that she is no longer there...

[JKL33]

2 hours ago, Jedrnurse said:

I would list the person who was your supervisor and let the home care company tell the reference checker that she is no longer there...

This.

OP, the scenario you describe doesn't obligate you to tell them not to contact the supervisor.

You are kind of confusing employer references and personal references. If listing personal references you shouldn't list people who haven't agreed to serve as a reference or those who are unlikely to follow through. But this application question is simply asking whether they can contact your previous employer and/or supervisor as part of their reference-checking. If that person doesn't work there anymore they'll find that out and it's just the way it is. Happens all the time.