from my experience, i think unless you are applying for an upper management job that hold essential role, else they will not spend time to contact your current/previous employer. it is just for a reference.

just simply the roles for engineering and implementation of projects. not holding any "manager" titles.

In your application form, you should have put the referral contact number for your past employment and they should contact those numbers. If they insist to have another contact, this is highly unusual unless they really doubt your credentials.

I am only aware that C-Levels or Board of Directors position will go through this kind of scrutiny but they would have normally engage professional agencies to handle all this.

You apply for CIA is it?

If the inputs of referral are highly important to evaluate the staff performance attitude, so what the purposes of probation period? The employer should evaluate the staff during probation period for actual performance, different people have different kind of view to judge how good or bad they are.

I tired to pursue with the head of department that HR or their system should not judge the quality of candidates from one side comments or they can terminate me within 24hours during probation period if I failed to fulfills my JD or poor working attitude.

This depends on the nature of work. In certain companies, they rarely fire people and they have very stringent criteria of who they want to bring in. For example, glcs or banks have many benefits for staffs and a lot of procedures to incorporate your medical benefits, prs, registration with regulatory agencies, ...etc.

If let say you have issues with your past companies, you can state this in interview and when hr gathers data for the management review, they can corroborate the data.

Probation period works both ways. It's also a period for you to determine suitability and fit with the company. You can also resign with 1-2 week notice should you dislike the fit.

Then again, this depends on the type of company you apply to. The bigger or more prestigious they are, it's reasonable for them to have more stringent requirements as well.

Not defending or criticising anybody, just providing objective views on the matter.

I do inform upfront to HR the reasons of resignation along bosses contact and claimed that no expecting no good review from some bosses. I expecting HR can compile along with my comments rather than steer by my previous bosses for either YES or NO only. At least understand "Why he said YES" and "Why he said NO".

But no luck. My company business went downhill, hopeless on his commitment, bad EQ raised for argument and conflicts as the sake of company benefits and my future. If he HR define all bosses in this world are always RIGHT, i cant do anything.

This post has been edited by gkl83: Jan 8 2021, 01:37 PM

Is this some MNC or some company that is too free to do detailed background checks?

For a non manager role, i find it strange.

It dont benefits you.

You can give him field references such as customers, suppliers etc but not current employee.

I have no ideas for this why they asked for my bosses contact. however I do highlight to HR in advance that i no expecting good review for them.

I conflicting with my current boss as he failed to commit for business expansion, he facing problems on his on-going projects too, how happy can i if under his management my previous boss due to staff welfare, unfriendly working environment, I left and join other companies and be his direct competitors, caused him lost some sales business. So how I can get a good recommendation as the reasons above. But still the HR submit the review reports exactly what they said.

till now the head of dept never get back to me.
I guess is gone cases just bcos of current & ex employer's review.

This post has been edited by gkl83: Jan 9 2021, 03:54 PM

the HR insisted my current and ex superior's contacts as their system requirement even though I provided a list of contact from my business partner, voluntary society, my current and ex colleagues.

It doesn't make sense as this move don't benefit the company in long run in term of talent acquisition and it don't benefit you.

Basically, they want to burn your bridge regardless they going to hire you or not..

Request to seek to the head of the company or the person you going to report too. Ask them to waive this as this seems to a bad faith. Else you might want to consider other offers.

It is like your new gf/bf want to seek your current gf/bf to validate your sincerity..

This post has been edited by chamelion: Jan 9 2021, 04:15 PM

I guess, the company looking for good ATTITUDE employee. The head of department keep expressing I look good with attitudes and impressed the top & another teammates during interviews, keep informing me that he want to take me and preparing for offer letter.

As their point of view,
Attitudes more priority than talents, skills and experiences.

I do have the company email of the top as the invitation link sent for interview.
But i doesn't feel comfortable now even they reconsider me back since their system are so rigid. i doubt the head of dept dare to challenge their system for my case.

This post has been edited by gkl83: Jan 9 2021, 04:28 PM

Dont mistake both.

Good atiitude have nothing to do with meeting with your current employer. Meeting with your current employer cannot disclose anything meaningful to new employer due to conflict of interest.

Dont doubt, just call the head and explain your pov. Seem bad faith from their end.

This post has been edited by chamelion: Jan 9 2021, 04:34 PM

He claimed that the system show all the references that I provided are no positive nor neutral, current employer contact is a MUST.
But one of my ex colleague that contacted by HR and he appraised my work performance. He told me no worry to getting that job as he did his part.

After a phone call from head of dept, i text him immediately and explained should not hear one-side comments only, confessed upfront for not expecting good review from my employers and requested to reconsider for my application from there.

I guess no suitable to pursue further if he cant against the system
Maybe they expecting "prefect" employee with both good attitude and working performance.

If there is such "prefect" employee, u think the current employer will let other new employers to hire them?

This post has been edited by gkl83: Jan 9 2021, 05:00 PM

You are correct on last part. He just want to save his ass. In event the candidate is not good, he will report that he done necessary to check the back ground and is not his fault at your career expense by burn your CURRENT bridge. If i am his head, i would screw him for his work ethic. For most organisation sme or mnc, talking to candidate’s current employer is not a must especially in competitive sectors.

Typical manager with poor leadership.

This post has been edited by chamelion: Jan 9 2021, 05:44 PM

Some matters are beyond the HR managers' power & control. It is not that simple to challenge an existing system as you please due to factors like organizational culture (top-to-bottom hierarchy) and workplace politics.

At the end of the day, HR managers are still "coolie" and they have to act according to their upper managements' order to avoid any unwanted drama & to secure their job security (aka be leader-pleasing).

I came across one story about an HR manager who wanted to hire a fresh graduate with CGPA 2.9 but got screwed by his upper management for not abiding by the hiring requirements of CGPA 3.0 (not listening to his boss's order).

In my current job, when I interview that time, I did provide my references during job application. Then once finished interview and upon received the letter of offer, HR did ask me to double confirm my references details which I did.

Then, in between the first month of the job, my HR manager did contact my previous EX boss to ask the details about me. I don’t know this untill the EX boss let me know.

I left the company in a good term, but 1-2 weeks into current job, my ex company colleagues and bosses find out that I went to join competitor company and only the director doesn’t like me now.

My EX boss still a very good friend to me, and are my mentor now. Hope my experiences help.

u r lucky that u still have a superior as your references who still can treat you as friends.

For my case, I don't have any superior to report for the past 10 years.
Either report to CEO and country manager, direct conflict occurred without middle man involved...