Job Interview Questions and Answers
Question 47: Have any of your past employers refused to give you a reference?
Of course, the best answer to this question is "no", but if you have to answer "yes", explain why in a professional manner. In other words, don't complain bitterly about the employer who refused to give you a reference.
Sample answer 1: "Yes, John Wilson at Acme refuses to give me a reference because he is unhappy that I resigned from the company. This is unfortunate because John and I really liked each other and worked well together. I did receive excellent performance reviews and two raises based on performance while at Acme, so his refusal to give me a reference is not based on poor performance. As I said, he is angry at me for resigning because he considers my doing so to be disloyal to the company."
Sample answer 2: "Yes, Acme Corporation refuses to give me a reference; however, this is not based on performance. Acme has been sued many times by former employers so they have adopted the policy of confirming only job title, work dates and salary through HR. If you contact Mr. Wilson at Acme, he will likely not respond or will refer you to HR. This is not based on my performance, but rather, on company policy."
