Asked to be a reference.

W

WpgCameraMan

Well-known member
Got an email from a guy I used to know , probably since 1996. I used to work at a cable station, he was a volunteer that eventually got hired for some weekend master control work. Things started to go missing, and the surveillance system I put in place caught him red handed with his fingers in the petty cash bin. He got fired in 1998, and I've really not heard much of anything from him other than the occasional shout-out on Facebook.

Anyway, he writes that he's had some troubled years and is now 65 days sober, and would like to use me for an unspecified job reference.

We got along quite well back then, he was always game & creative , but he also had problems at home and I don't know what possessed my boss to hire him. I don't what his story is for the past 11 years. Baby killer? Saint?

I don't think I'm qualified to be a reference, quite frankly. Knowing what I do, I wouldn't hire him to work for me. Maybe he's a changed soul, found some guiding force to keep him out of trouble, don't know... don't care.
 
i would be honest in your disclosure to your boss, and honest with the guy/friend you used to know in what you said if he should ask or want a reference, or ask about what you said.

technically its the truth as you know it, and really its what you know.
 
Let him know that you have to be honest with what happened. I'd suggest being a verification instead of a reference; confirm that he had the job, but don't give your opinion on the guy.
 
Cassius said:
Let him know that you have to be honest with what happened. I'd suggest being a verification instead of a reference; confirm that he had the job, but don't give your opinion on the guy.
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This is what I would do. I understand you are just a reference, but there are certain states where employers and bosses could get sued if it prevented this guy from getting hired.
 
Zissou said:
i would be honest in your disclosure to your boss, and honest with the guy/friend you used to know in what you said if he should ask or want a reference, or ask about what you said.
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I no longer work as an employee for the company (but freelance on a regular basis).

The other problem is that on his resume, he left out working at the TV station, and I'm sure I would be asked how I know the guy...

All in all, not a wise choice to ask a former co-worker whom you stole from for a job reference.
 
Absolutely, tell him no. The only thing a reputable prospective employer can ask a past employer is verification of dates of employment and is the the individual eligible for re-hire. Any information given beyond that opens up huge privacy issues. Trust me on this. I have worked both sides of the issue, doing the hiring/verification and being called for the verification, for some very large companies, and they are deadly serious that nothing else can be asked or given. In a previous career I used to be a Supervisor of a work force of over 100 employees, and I was very frequently asked to give letter of recommendations for employment, and I refused them all. It is just not worth it. The only recommendations I agreed to was to write letters of recommendation for schools, but that is pure BS anyway. In your situation, this guy needs a nice, simple "F. O.".
 
Do you really want to assume the ethical burden of recommending a known thief and substance abuser to a prospective employer?

Maybe - hopefully - this guy's cleaned up his act and is on the straight and narrow. But you have no idea, do you?

Anyway, +1 on the above recommendations.
 
WpgCameraMan said:
I no longer work as an employee for the company (but freelance on a regular basis).

The other problem is that on his resume, he left out working at the TV station, and I'm sure I would be asked how I know the guy...

All in all, not a wise choice to ask a former co-worker whom you stole from for a job reference.
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agreed. personally, if someone stole from me, i would likely 'burn' them in a proveable way, or express my experiences with said coworker.
 
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