When would a prospective employer contact my current employer?
August 31, 2010 11:20 PM Subscribe
When would a prospective employer contact my current employer?
I'm considering applying to a few tech jobs. At what point in the process, and under what circumstances, would they be likely to contact my current employer? (A large US tech company.) I want to be comfortable with my level of confidentiality before I start this job search.
Additional info: Some of these jobs are at government contractors and require a security clearance.
I'm considering applying to a few tech jobs. At what point in the process, and under what circumstances, would they be likely to contact my current employer? (A large US tech company.) I want to be comfortable with my level of confidentiality before I start this job search.
Additional info: Some of these jobs are at government contractors and require a security clearance.
Potential employers never contact current employers, unless you give them explicit permission to do so. If they did, every employed person on a job hunt would get fired mid-way through their job hunt, and job hunting would be considered the riskiest thing an employed person could do.
posted by Kololo at 7:17 AM on September 1, 2010
posted by Kololo at 7:17 AM on September 1, 2010
Best answer: I hate to say this, but potential employers can and will find a way to contact currents. I don't know if there is a law against this (having been out of the HR realm for a while). I do not agree with it in principle, but if the potential employer is paranoid enough, they will find a way. If they are very good, they can do it in a way that does not blow your cover. The best thing to do is give the potential employer the names of a few current co-workers that you trust, and have them speak for you. Hopefully that will appease the potential employer. Make sure you inform the co-workers to expect the call.
I've worked for employers (as an HR Manager, who was tasked with making the calls) that insist on knowing the full scoop on a potential hire. I have argued against it with them, but it all depends on whether they hear my logic. The last employer I worked for fancied themselves as savvy and entitled to the information (it was a company owned by foreigners, who expressed disdain for American hiring policies, among other things). I disagreed with their motives and managed to subversively get people hired by bypassing the current employer contact.
The one time I was forced to make a call like this, I pretended I was verifying employment for a credit check. So I asked for the bare bones info (date of hire, job title and whether they were currently employed there). Everything went smoothly and we got ourselves an excellent hire.
On another note, I made it a policy at all of my jobs to only give out the above info on current and past employees. No salary info and I never gave out performance info. I would just say it was against company policy and most people accepted that.
posted by sundrop at 8:18 AM on September 1, 2010
I've worked for employers (as an HR Manager, who was tasked with making the calls) that insist on knowing the full scoop on a potential hire. I have argued against it with them, but it all depends on whether they hear my logic. The last employer I worked for fancied themselves as savvy and entitled to the information (it was a company owned by foreigners, who expressed disdain for American hiring policies, among other things). I disagreed with their motives and managed to subversively get people hired by bypassing the current employer contact.
The one time I was forced to make a call like this, I pretended I was verifying employment for a credit check. So I asked for the bare bones info (date of hire, job title and whether they were currently employed there). Everything went smoothly and we got ourselves an excellent hire.
On another note, I made it a policy at all of my jobs to only give out the above info on current and past employees. No salary info and I never gave out performance info. I would just say it was against company policy and most people accepted that.
posted by sundrop at 8:18 AM on September 1, 2010
And let me clarify that when I mentioned the previous employer as foreigners, it was because these particular folks had disdain for American hiring and work policies. I am in no way suggesting that foreign-owned companies are all like this. These folks were very business savvy, but held an arrogant attitude about American workers (thought we were lazy if we didn't want to work 24/7, and things like that). I disliked working for them because of that. They were making their fortune in the US, using US workers, but looked down on us. It's one of the reasons I'm not there anymore.
Just making sure I'm not misunderstood as against foreigners, all. These people were truly an exception.
posted by sundrop at 8:26 AM on September 1, 2010
Just making sure I'm not misunderstood as against foreigners, all. These people were truly an exception.
posted by sundrop at 8:26 AM on September 1, 2010
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You apply for security clearances after you get the job, so that shouldn't be an issue.
posted by eye of newt at 11:51 PM on August 31, 2010