Referencing for a new job, left old job due to not passing probation some years ago

fllegend · May 8, 2019

Hi wanted to get some perspectives for those who work in HR or have similar personal experiences.

I'm going to a new company after having worked 4.5 years at my current job. Before this current job I worked for two weeks for a market research company that basically cold called people, and was sacked with one weeks' notice after two weeks as I wasn't good at it and they didn't want to devote any more time training me in their ways.

I had put down reason for leaving this job as 'other' on the referencing form from a list of drop downs, as to me dismissal normally implies misconduct or sacked after a disciplinary procedure. Now this company has provided a reference to my new employer saying I was dismissed. I have provided the context as to how this dismissal happened after being asked by the new employer.

So my questions are
- is my view of dismissal being misconduct related correct
- how much does a reference from nearly 5 years ago matter
- does this misunderstanding reflect badly on me

Paul Norman · May 8, 2019

Dismissal can be for a number of reasons other than misconduct - like failing to meet targets, for example.

As a recruiter, I would have no interesting in a reference that old from someone you were with for half a nano second. The challenge you have here is overly prescription application forms leaving you no space to give the story. As you wrote the story above I would not use it as a reason to deselect you.

The reality is that lots of candidates have a blip somewhere on the CV. Your record of the last 4.5 years is of far more interest to me.

AllUpHere · May 8, 2019

I wouldn't even mention that job, or list it as a temporary position.

Mr D · May 8, 2019

your more recent experience and length of time in a job is of far more interest than a couple of weeks several years ago. and not everyone can handle cold calling - its no shame that you could not do it.
really its a very small blip, not worth any future employer bothering with.

I had one I lasted 3 days - I do not even bother putting that in list of jobs. cv has no room for it.

fllegend · May 8, 2019

Thanks for the replies so far. I had thought it shouldn't be a huge issue as well, seeing as my new job is the in the same sector as my current one, and nothing to do with cold calling. It was just the format of the form, and the way it's set out so that you couldn't leave any blank days on it, just gave me the impression of an ultra strict approach to my past employment history.

deniser · May 8, 2019

I would view it as a probationary sort of thing in any case.

fllegend · May 8, 2019

deniser said:
I would view it as a probationary sort of thing in any case.

Yes , part of the reason I had thought dismissal wasn't the right option to select for the question that the new employer was asking, is because on a separate form they had asked whether I had been 'barred from any profession, dismissed, or asked to resign'.
When you read those three things in conjunction it reads like they're interested in knowing about dismissal in the sense of being struck off as a doctor or company director due to gross misconduct.

paulears · May 8, 2019

A two week stint wouldn't even be on my CV. Also interesting the company even kept a record of it?

ethical PR · May 8, 2019

fllegend said:
Hi wanted to get some perspectives for those who work in HR or have similar personal experiences.

I'm going to a new company after having worked 4.5 years at my current job. Before this current job I worked for two weeks for a market research company that basically cold called people, and was sacked with one weeks' notice after two weeks as I wasn't good at it and they didn't want to devote any more time training me in their ways.

I had put down reason for leaving this job as 'other' on the referencing form from a list of drop downs, as to me dismissal normally implies misconduct or sacked after a disciplinary procedure. Now this company has provided a reference to my new employer saying I was dismissed. I have provided the context as to how this dismissal happened after being asked by the new employer.

So my questions are
- is my view of dismissal being misconduct related correct
- how much does a reference from nearly 5 years ago matter
- does this misunderstanding reflect badly on me

Why on earth did you even mention this two week role. Let alone ask for a reference from it? I would leave it out of your CV going forward.

Lucan Unlordly · May 13, 2019

The company my mate works at (Finance Industry) has dismissed people after many months of faultless service on finding that their CV doesn't quite match the reality. A slip of the finger when typing in an 'O' level grade for an exam taken 10 years ago and your out the door. The thinking behind it being that they are employed in a position of absolute trust and any suggestion otherwise is enough for instant dismissal.

Leaving something off your CV could, if found out, come back to haunt you.

Bob Morgan · May 14, 2019

Lucan Unlordly said:
The company my mate works at (Finance Industry) has dismissed people after many months of faultless service on finding that their CV doesn't quite match the reality. A slip of the finger when typing in an 'O' level grade for an exam taken 10 years ago and your out the door. The thinking behind it being that they are employed in a position of absolute trust and any suggestion otherwise is enough for instant dismissal.

Leaving something off your CV could, if found out, come back to haunt you.

Thanks for the advice. I will have to revisit my CV and remove the word 'Suspended' in the section headed 'Convictions!'

ethical PR · May 15, 2019

Lucan Unlordly said:
The company my mate works at (Finance Industry) has dismissed people after many months of faultless service on finding that their CV doesn't quite match the reality. A slip of the finger when typing in an 'O' level grade for an exam taken 10 years ago and your out the door. The thinking behind it being that they are employed in a position of absolute trust and any suggestion otherwise is enough for instant dismissal.

Leaving something off your CV could, if found out, come back to haunt you.

I would take this comment with a huge pinch of salt.

People miss a two week period off their CVs all the time. Most of us can't even remember what grade O levels we got.

OP unless you work in a high level position or very security conscious industry I wouldn't worry about it.

Lucan Unlordly · May 15, 2019

ethical PR said:
I would take this comment with a huge pinch of salt.
OP unless you work in a high level position or very security conscious industry I wouldn't worry about it.

Unless you want to give your employer a reason to fire you a few years down the line

I agree with you in principle (my own, and clearly yours too) Ethical PR but as a an accountant once said during questions and answers on a training course 'yes the odds are in your favour if you fail to advise the revenue and pay the capital gains on the sale of the property'......'as long asa you are aware that those odds aren't 100%'

Lucan Unlordly · May 15, 2019

A footnote to the above.
I once attended an interview at a major publishing house, a cattle market affair with 10 candidates being whittled down to one. I was in the thanks but no thanks group but was asked if I would be willing to work on another magazine within the group?
Long story short, I was marched along the corridor to see the another Sales Director who it turns out was my predecessor at the job i'd recently left. He knew all about me as we'd successfully sunk the competitive publication he'd left to set up. All water under the bridge, we had a laugh about it and I was introduced to the Ad Manager for the respective title who it turns out was a lad i'd once let a room to some 10 years before.
The moral of this story? You never know who's looking at your CV...........

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Referencing for a new job, left old job due to not passing probation some years ago

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