Can prospective employer contact current employer?

[routercheck]

Hi,

As the title says, can a company I apply for contact my current company without my consent? They usually have a form for it asking if it's ok, but I just sent in my CV as it was the last day (Found out on the day).

They arranged an interview and accepted, however later on I phoned and sent an e-mail confirmation saying that I would like to cancel and not go on with the interview process.

Fast forward 1 week later, I get called up to see my line manager and he asks me how i'm getting on and how my latest project is going. Then slips in the question that his boss told him, that the prospective employer had informed him I applied for another job.

Is this just unprofessional or did they break any rules? (i.e. no consent to contact previous employer - or is that just a formality?)

It seems the prospective employer only contacted them after I cancelled the interview, which seems as though they had contacted them out of spite.

Would appreciate some input and thoughts.


Routercheck.

 

[.Kencs]

If you give them for a reference then YES if you don't state them on your reference...NO

 

[Random Guy]

I think it is very unreasonable of them to have done that. Not sure about it from a legal perspective though. Normally I would expect some form of contact with or without consent if you accept a job, but not if you were not hired.

 

[routercheck]

I didn't put them down as an employer, just said I currently work at X establishment in the covering letter.

 

[.Kencs]

I didn't put them down as an employer, just said I currently work at X establishment in the covering letter.

Best thing to do is speak to someone who is at a high position within the company that you get on with, (NOT the manager or the geeza who contacted your previous employer) and ask them why they did that without your concent...

I use to go out with a girl when i worked at sainsburys and she was done for nicking money from the til, yet I had NO idea what was going on and handed my notice in a week before they caught her, and then rumours went round saying i had some involvement...I then applied for another job about half a year later and they didnt give me a job, i asked my mate WHY because he worked for the company and he said it was due to a bad reference from my old job...i went in and kicked off so much that the guy who gave my bad reference later moved elsewhere for some reason...an employer can REFUSE to give u a reference but often they can not give you a bad one...or so im told...

 

[Saytan]

always close your covering letter with something to the effect of "i respectfully request you keep this enquiry in the strictest confidence"

 

[Tom0]

.an employer can REFUSE to give u a reference but often they can not give you a bad one...or so im told...

Its actually illegal to give a bad one.

 

[Raumarik]

Isn't it legal to give a bad one if you can back up your reasons with proof?

The council (whom I'm leaving shortly) can't really comment at all reference wise due to this, they'll tick boxes but are more or less restricted from putting anything negative.

Personally I think it's awful as it just means poor employees can apply for anything.

 

[a1ex2001]

Its actually illegal to give a bad one.

So not true, you can write anything you like in an employee reference provided it is true and that you can substantiate it if required. So you can for example quote poor attendance figures or state that someone was sacked for pinching stuff from the office supply store. You can not put in things like I thought he was a lazy skiving git because that is not a statement of fact.

I always consider no refference or refferences of the 'He was emplyed by as from x to y to do z' as worse than no reference.