Company going under

July 11, 2015 2:59 AM

I'm 99% sure that my company is going under, how do I work my resume in that instance?

I don't want to jump ship. If we make it through I want to be a part of that. But I don't want to be left without a pot either.

Long story short I know *way* more than I probably should, but I've been there for 10+ years and it is what it is. My response to "why are you leaving" would be along the lines of "I can't grow any more than I already have with my present employer" but I can't exactly put them on my resume as a reference. I don't want them to know I'm looking.

posted by anonymous to Work & Money (5 answers total)

Most companies these days specifically ask whether they can contact your current employer, and no one holds it against you if you say No. We've all been there.

And "putting on your resume" is not the same as "reference". Find a former supervisor or co-worker who's moved on, or someone outside your office to be references.
posted by Etrigan at 3:49 AM on July 11, 2015

Trust me, it was weirder for me when I was job-hunting and my current employer DID know about it (he was closing down the company and moving to Shanghai, so he was basically letting me look for a job on his dime). It's very, very common to not allow people to contact your current gig. Don't worry about it.
posted by Medieval Maven at 6:05 AM on July 11, 2015

This doesn't affect your resume at all. What you want out of your next job and what you bring to the table are issues for the cover letter and interview, not resume.
posted by J. Wilson at 7:10 AM on July 11, 2015 [2 favorites]

I'm confused about the issue. On your resume, you put them down as your experience (10 years is awesome!). At the interview or after, if they ask for references, you give them the contact info of your previous boss/manager/mentor/colleagues from this job, and they call them directly. It's the same thing if your reference moved to another company - you can still have them as your reference.

And if there is a question on the application that says "can you contact your current/former employer?" say yes. If there is a field for contact information, write the company's main office phone #, and make a note saying "please contact ReferenceName directly at [phone number]" and list what their title is/was at your company.
posted by never.was.and.never.will.be. at 9:18 AM on July 11, 2015 [1 favorite]

This is a completely normal situation. Anyway, you don't put references on your resume, you provide them upon request, and you generally give them a specific name and phone/email to contact.

They may ask if they can contact your employer to verify employment. You can say no. There are other ways to confirm that, assuming you've been getting paid above the table and paying taxes.
posted by Lyn Never at 10:45 AM on July 11, 2015 [3 favorites]