Letters of Recommendation Are Worthless

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There are no such federal laws that prohibit employers from asking references questions about job performance, whether they would hire them back if they had the chance. What you are describing below is a perversion of the definition of laws against libel and slander, but telling the truth are protection against libel. If you were a shitty employee, I could easily and legally tell a potential employer that if I were called for a reference.

Mark of VA 11:56AM December 06, 2012

Not all Managers feel this way thank God. I met some that still appreciate an old fashion letter of reference.
It's sad in todays world that we can not take a persons word for
anything, we have to look uder every rock so to speak. I happen to have many letters from former employers that are very detailed about my work ethics. As for calling past employers,
she fails to mention there are federal laws of employment that
restricts someone to ask only certain questions and none of them as far as I remember can be on the persons charactor or ask the former employer his/her personal opinion on former employee. I think letters are great, they give a first hand opinion regardless what this woman says. Besides, makes you think why someone would give a reference letter on one day and bash you over the phone the next?

James of NV 8:27AM December 23, 2008

What if I have a signed letter from a previous employer saying how wonderful I was and they recommend me for hire..then when a perspective employer calls for a reference the person whom wrote the glowing letter now verbally says quite the opposite? Basically, destroying my chance of hire.

Miles of WA 8:06PM December 15, 2008

I agree with Alison, the author. I have no need for them when I hire, I talk to people, if I can't get in touch with a live person to discuss the potential employee then that sends up a red flag for me.

Beatrice of CA 9:12AM November 20, 2008

Academics MUST include letters of recommendation. I've been asked to submit them, as well. Some employers (lazy ones, in my opinion) want everything up front, including references, which may or may not consist of written recommendations, else they won't even consider an applicant.
General rule? Follow the employer's application instructions EXACTLY, and never (EVER!) submit references up front unless asked. And then only if you are willing to work for lazy employers who ask for them upfront in the first place, even though that very well may cost you any further consideration.
Not that I have any opinions myself on the subject! :)

almostgotit.com of TN 12:40PM November 18, 2008

Sorry, but I disagree. I would rather have a memo in writing regarding an applicant's character, abilities and interests than a cursory phone call. I can expand my interview questions of the applicant to include information from a reference letter. Don't get me wrong, phone interviews from references are good if they provide useful information. However, the more savvy interviewer knows what to ask to get what they need. On the flip side, many professionals who respond to reference requests are familiar with what they should and should not discuss both in written form or in conversation. People don't leave companies, they leave bad bosses. After being in human resources for "Fortune 10" companies for over 20 years, and having left a rat boss once myself, the value of one person's opinion over a lifetime of experience needs to be viewed but with a view of the total package.

JBJ of FL 12:40PM November 18, 2008

I recently put an ad on Craigslist to hire a programmer. From the many responses, I narrowed the candidates down to one. After interviewing him, I asked for references. He provided me with names and phone numbers of five people who had agreed to speak to me. Of the five, only one answered the phone. I left messages for the other four. Of the remaining four, only one returned my call. The other three didn't respond even after I left more messages. I didn't hold this against my job candidate because the two references I spoke to gave him glowing reports. I can only assume the other three were busy, or maybe unorganized. Pursuing them further would have felt like stalking.
In this case, I would have preferred to have both a phone number and written recommendations.

Susan Ireland of CA 9:11AM November 18, 2008

I'm just a student and I don't know much about these things yet. Are they really worthless? My teachers recommended to at least have those letters...Hmm...Maybe for some employers they are, and for others, they're not.
I'm really confused now if I will include any in my applications...Well, good thing, for online resumes, I don't have to think about any letters of recommendation. I have one at NUresume (www.nuresume.com)..for free that is..no need for letters there..no worries for me..

Claire of CA 6:21AM November 18, 2008

This is so sad! All those lovely letters! Why do we bother?
However, makes me feel somewhat better, as in all of my jobs I only got one letter of rec. And I didn't ask for it. And it cited an anecdote that never actually took place.
Weird, really. But it was a nice letter.

Working Girl of 11:07PM November 17, 2008

This is interesting, since I just got hired based off reference letters. I work in law enforcement, and these letters, attached to the resume in the interview, have saved my rear many times (and yes, I can prove that based on employer feedback post-hire). I worked part time/seasonal work for small departments, which is why I interviewed a lot, but they definitely came in handy to ease any concern that a potential employer would have. Yes, there is a background phase, but potential employers have been able to either ask questions based off of the letters or, seeing that they were written by people in the same field, have advanced me past the interview stage, where the contacts in the letters have then been called to further disclose information that is not readily apparent in the letters. I am not saying I disagree with this post, but there might be an exception for the government versus private sector. This is my opinion only, though.

RM of WI 9:57PM November 17, 2008