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Reference from job I quit

Is it inappropriate to ask for a reference from a job I quit half a year ago? We hadn’t stayed in contact afterwards. I quit because my boss was barely contacting me or giving me any support and after 2 weeks of ignoring me it felt pointless as a job. We never discussed references and English is not their first language.

But I’m stuck with asking for references as I don’t have any better options at the moment. Is it totally cheeky to go back to this person and ask?
you could ask but in all honesty its unlikely youll get a response from what youve mentioned op
Reply 2
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Anonymous #1
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Original post by WazzWazz98
you could ask but in all honesty its unlikely youll get a response from what youve mentioned op

Exactly so I don’t know what to and have to provide a reference for a job I’m going for
you can but try, right?
Original post by Anonymous
Is it inappropriate to ask for a reference from a job I quit half a year ago? We hadn’t stayed in contact afterwards. I quit because my boss was barely contacting me or giving me any support and after 2 weeks of ignoring me it felt pointless as a job. We never discussed references and English is not their first language.

But I’m stuck with asking for references as I don’t have any better options at the moment. Is it totally cheeky to go back to this person and ask?

I wouldn't say it's inappropriate, but usually the company you apply to will contact your employer for you if they want a reference anyway?
Reply 5
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Original post by -Eirlys-
I wouldn't say it's inappropriate, but usually the company you apply to will contact your employer for you if they want a reference anyway?

I think they normally request the contact details from you instead of finding random online contact details

Original post by WazzWazz98
you can but try, right?

true, im also worried if they decide to give a negative reference because they're annoyed i quit, even tho i did good work for them a lot of it unpaid
I think it’s polite to approach the company that you want a reference off first before passing their details on to your recruiters. Maybe you should test the water first?
Do you have many other options in terms of potential references?
Reply 7
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Original post by Cancelled Alice
I think it’s polite to approach the company that you want a reference off first before passing their details on to your recruiters. Maybe you should test the water first?
Do you have many other options in terms of potential references?

Yes i'm planning to email first.

My other options apart from the most recent job i quit, are a freelance temp job i had over a year ago which was also left a bit awkwardly and we haven't been in contact since, and then other events jobs which lasted only a day or two each. and were 1.5-2 years ago at least.

I had a job 3 years ago who did help me with references after i left but they ignored my last email and seem sick of giving me references now
Original post by Anonymous
Yes i'm planning to email first.

My other options apart from the most recent job i quit, are a freelance temp job i had over a year ago which was also left a bit awkwardly and we haven't been in contact since, and then other events jobs which lasted only a day or two each. and were 1.5-2 years ago at least.

I had a job 3 years ago who did help me with references after i left but they ignored my last email and seem sick of giving me references now

So you've got a bit of a tricky employment history.

Some employers aren’t overly bothered about references for some types of jobs, a supermarket chain I was previously employed by didn’t bother even following up on mine. You should probably touch base with everyone and use who every responds as your reference.
Reply 9
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Original post by Cancelled Alice
So you've got a bit of a tricky employment history.

Some employers aren’t overly bothered about references for some types of jobs, a supermarket chain I was previously employed by didn’t bother even following up on mine. You should probably touch base with everyone and use who every responds as your reference.

I've heard employers consider it a red flag if someone has a tricky employment history.

Do u have any tips for approaching old employers who don't know me well for this reference? it's going to be really awkward and i've gotten ignored before for it
Original post by Anonymous
I've heard employers consider it a red flag if someone has a tricky employment history.

Do u have any tips for approaching old employers who don't know me well for this reference? it's going to be really awkward and i've gotten ignored before for it

Yes they can view it as a red flag. It depends on the desirability of the role you are applying for- beggars can’t be [too] choosy.
Ugh, I hate writing emails. Be polite, be direct, make it easy for them to identify exactly who you are- state your job role, start date/ end date date and manager. Avoid coming across as grovelling. It’s probably best to close the email with Many Thanks followed by your full name.

Try not to attach too much emotional weight to whether you get a response or not, that’s easier said then done lol. It’s not a reflection on your worth.
Original post by Cancelled Alice
Yes they can view it as a red flag. It depends on the desirability of the role you are applying for- beggars can’t be [too] choosy.
Ugh, I hate writing emails. Be polite, be direct, make it easy for them to identify exactly who you are- state your job role, start date/ end date date and manager. Avoid coming across as grovelling. It’s probably best to close the email with Many Thanks followed by your full name.

Try not to attach too much emotional weight to whether you get a response or not, that’s easier said then done lol. It’s not a reflection on your worth.

It's a cool role honestly, but our first interview went quite well and they're asking for refs as i have a 2nd one.

How do you explain the reference request do u say you are applying to x job and need their help, and the referee will be contacted by someone from x company?
Original post by Anonymous
It's a cool role honestly, but our first interview went quite well and they're asking for refs as i have a 2nd one.

How do you explain the reference request do u say you are applying to x job and need their help, and the referee will be contacted by someone from x company?

Yeah that should be sufficient. The company will be familiar with the process of writing references.
Original post by Cancelled Alice
Yeah that should be sufficient. The company will be familiar with the process of writing references.

thank you!
Original post by Anonymous
Is it inappropriate to ask for a reference from a job I quit half a year ago? We hadn’t stayed in contact afterwards. I quit because my boss was barely contacting me or giving me any support and after 2 weeks of ignoring me it felt pointless as a job. We never discussed references and English is not their first language.

But I’m stuck with asking for references as I don’t have any better options at the moment. Is it totally cheeky to go back to this person and ask?

You could contact them first and see if they would be willing to give you a reference. It's the polite thing to do. Plus you can possibly gauge from that wether they are likely to give you a positive reference or not.

Other reference wise- do you have any school/college/uni tutors from the not so distant past who may be able to give you one? Do you attend any clubs/societies- if so you could use someone (such as an instructor/leader) from there.
Original post by Emma:-)
You could contact them first and see if they would be willing to give you a reference. It's the polite thing to do. Plus you can possibly gauge from that wether they are likely to give you a positive reference or not.

Other reference wise- do you have any school/college/uni tutors from the not so distant past who may be able to give you one? Do you attend any clubs/societies- if so you could use someone (such as an instructor/leader) from there.


I’ve been at uni for the past year, I have asked one tutor for a reference and just need to sort out the 2nd… not sure if 2 tutors would be appropriate for a job
Update: i have gotten a response from the employer i quit with luckily... but not my tutor. I heard the tutor has given references to other students so might be too busy to reply but i have to give details to the interviewers asap. Should i share the details with them anyway or delay it until she replies?

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