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Enemy at the Gates
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cants often do not tell their current employers that they are considering
a new job, and their request not to call them should be
respected.
Verifying employment has a specific meaning in the business
world. Verification is a highly structured process in which the hiring
company contacts previous employers, reports to them the candidate’s
name, title, salary or wages, and start and termination dates as
noted on the résumé and application form. The prior employer is
asked to say “yes” or “no” to each statement. There is no real exchange
of new information, with the possible exception of whether
or not the prior company would rehire the candidate. The response
to this question can be deceiving, since many companies have policies
prohibiting the rehire of previous employees. Even the word termination
does not mean that the person was fired; only that he or she
left the company. The actual reasons or circumstances for leaving are
rarely given or are limited to carefully constructed statements. The
purpose of this caution is to protect the prior employer from litigation
or claims by the candidate that he or she did not get a job because
of something defamatory the prior employer said. Some
employees terminated for cause (this technical term refers to stealing,
policy violations, taking illegal drugs, or abusing coworkers, among
other things) leave with signed agreements from their previous employer
assuring them that a negative reference will not be given; only
a neutral one. This leaves the hiring company at quite a disadvantage,
especially as performance ratings—the most important information
about candidates—are almost never given. This is the information
the hiring manager wants and desperately needs in order to make an
informed choice among candidates.
Another difficulty is what to make of the information if discrepancies
are noted. Some discrepancies are clearer than others. For example,
“assistant director” is a different, higher-level job than
“assistant to the director,” and candidates are expected to know the
difference. Discrepancies in reported salaries are always problematic,
although some candidates will show reduced salary on their résumés