HR People..Please Come In

[dancingnancies]

I have a question. Things at my last job ended on an ugly ,ugly note(copmpany is refusing to compensate me for some work) and the situation is still not resolved. I need to find a new job. What do i do if a potential employer asks me for a reference from my most recent employer ?

[jodi_b]

That's a tough situation. Is there anyone you worked with in that organization that you could count on to give you a positive recommendation? Possibly someone who is not currently working there, but with whom you worked in the past, or a peer (although references from peers don't carry quite as much weight as supervisors), or someone higher up in the organization, but who may not have directly supervised you?

Another option would be to do some volunteer work or some short-term work through an agency to establish some new references.

Best wishes!

Jodi

ETA:
Your former employer may have a policy of verifying employment, but nothing more. You could have a friend call to check your references there and see just how much information they provide.