Re: Potential Employers and your not wanting them to contact previous employers

[Jo Dirt]

I've been an RN a little over a year, and the first 8 months was spent in home health.

I absolutely hated that job, and though when I left the administrator told me I could count on her to give me a good referral...I will just say that in light of the goings on I saw in that place and how cut throat it was I would not want to count on it. It really is an experience I would rather forget and I wouldn't even want to put it on my job application and if I do, I would check "no" when they asked if they could contact the employer.

This leaves me thinking I might have some splaining to do. So what do I tell them? I tried but it wasn't good enough...I couldn't take the stress of being expected to go out every single day of the week instead of just being able to do my job and GO HOME... I got so sick of running the wheels off my car...I got so sick of my cell phone ringing all the time...it made me stressed out and nervous to have to go in so many different peoples' houses...I got so sick of being blamed for things I had absolutely no control over...

If I'm going to be truthful that is what I would have to say. I'm not someone who wants to sugar coat things, either, and I wonder if this will hurt me? I'm a what you see is what you get person and I want everything to be out front from the beginning. Problem is, I know this isn't always a smart thing to do, especially if they don't need to know every little detail. So how do you go about explaining why you don't want them to call one of your former employers without ruining it for yourself?

[RNforLongTime]

I was fired from a nursing job last year. The first interview I went on, I was up front with the nurse manager about WHY I was fired, etc. After an almost 2 hr interview, she offered me a job pending HR approval. Well, guess what. Four days later, I got a thanks but no thanks letter in the mail. I am sure that the place that fired me told them that they wouldn't rehire me. LEGALLY, in the state that I work in, that's all they are allowed to say. WHO KNOWS what was said "off to the side" so to speak. I'd have no way to prove anything. Basically, the same thing happened at the next two interviews. Both were for hospitals within the same health system. Interviewed well, was basically offered a position pending HR reference checks. Same thing. A week later I was sent thanks but no thanks letters from each hospital.

I was told by previous nurse managers that they won't give out personal letters of reference due to liability issues.

With my current employer, the manager was flabbergasted when I told her the reason I was fired from my previous employer. So was one of the Dr's I work with, he thinks I have a lawsuit on my hands. It's not worth it though since I don't have the money or the energy to pursue ligitation. I've got a job now and while it's not where I want to be, I am pursuing other options. Hopefully, my past won't be held against me.

Good luck with your job search. Honesty is always the best policy

[Jo Dirt]

Honesty is always the best policy

This is what makes me irate. I haven't tried to be deceptive about anything, I just would rather not even be associated with that place of employment because there are so many bad feelings about it. Just something I want to walk away from and never look back.