As of: February 13, 2024, 7:30 a.m
By: David Holzner
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A bad reference can make it more difficult to find a job.
But what if you don't even know whether the certificate is bad?
There are clear indications.
Every employee has the legal right to a written employment reference.
It is proof of a past professional position and is required by many companies when applying.
If you have received a negative job reference, this can limit your chances of getting the next job.
According to
the Federal Labor Court (BAG)
, the employer must therefore always issue a favorable employment reference.
The employee should not be hindered in their further professional career.
The employer is obliged to tell the truth.
However, he can still blame his former employees through certain wording in the job reference.
How do I recognize a bad job reference?
You should look through your reference carefully.
Maybe it's worse than expected.
(Pond5 Images/IMAGO) © Pond5 Images/IMAGO
The first indication of a bad job reference is its length.
If the reference is noticeably short, it suggests that the employer has little regard for it.
This also includes omitting information.
If important activities in your job description are missing from the list of your services for the company, this can be viewed as underperformance.
You should make sure that all of your activities are covered in the certificate.
Also important:
Look out for formal errors or spelling errors in the employment reference you receive.
Even though they may have happened by chance, they reflect poorly on you. If there are mistakes, point them out to your employer and get a revised version.
The trade regulations state: “The certificate must be formulated clearly and understandably.
It must not contain any characteristics or formulations that have the purpose of making any statement about the employee other than that which is apparent from the external form or the wording." Nevertheless, certain formulations are considered a secret code for undesirable behavior and are used by many employees understood like that.
These formulations are often not immediately obvious to employees.
Here it is advisable to read between the lines.
“He/she made every effort to fulfill the assigned tasks.” Sounds good at first, but indicates that the target performance has not been met.
“He/she usually showed an independent way of working.” The word “usually” indicates that this was not always the case.
The situation is similar with “absolutely” or “on the whole”.
“He/She completed the tasks as expected” The phrase “as expected” in this context means that the employer is disappointed.
Wording with the adjectives “good” or “satisfactory” are to be classified as negative in the context of job references.
In general, the more lavish the employer's praise, the better.
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An important question that should be answered in the employment reference: Who quit?
There is a big difference if you were fired or if they quit.
What would be desirable would be wording like: “The employee is leaving the company at his own request.
We very much regret this, thank you for the work you have done and wish you all the best for the future.” If this section is missing at the end, ask your employer to add it.
Bad job reference: what to do?
If you have a bad job reference, the first thing we recommend is a conversation with the employer.
Perhaps he is not aware of the significance of this document or there is a misunderstanding.
A clarifying conversation often promises improvement.
In general, you can approach the boss before the certificate is issued.
Many employers often don't even know what their employees are doing.
List all of your activities for the company and describe your services as precisely as possible.
Many employers even let their employees write their own job references.
If the employee claims to be untrue in the employment reference, point this out to him in writing.
If he continues to refuse to change the affected passages, you should contact a labor law attorney.
Hide your job reference?
Not providing a job reference when applying raises questions.
A bad reference is better than none.
The reference is proof of your former job.
Instead, actively mention it during your interview.
If there are any questions, explain why the report card turned out the way it did.
Alternatively, you can refer to another reference that was more positive.
The HR manager should get a positive impression of you.
Give him as many examples of this as possible.