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Hello
I wonder if anyone out there can advise.
Background
I left my last permanent role within financial services 14 months ago to take a specialist Masters degree. While working for this firm I always received strong annual performance ratings (exceeds, or strongly performing) and left after 6 positive years under the voluntary redundancy scheme as a good leaver. I left with the thanks of the Board for the positive impact I'd had, and (in addition to the usual company references) two senior colleagues (one board member, and one C-suite exec) kindly offered to act as personal referees. Subsequent to my leaving the firm, both the CEO and the Chairman left glowing personal endorsements on my linked-in page.
However, my subsequent experience of applying for senior financial services roles has left me concerned. I seem to have no problem getting onto the long list for initial interviews, at the point when the short list is being finalised my name is consistently being dropped. I am very well qualified (both through professional qualifications and experience) for the roles I am applying for, and all the interviews seem to go genuinely very well - eg: interviewers getting enthusiastically into "selling" the role to me, asking whether im interviewing for other roles and making it clear that they can fast track the next stage interview if necessary. So, I leave each interview very positively, and then typically hear nothing. For several of these roles I've been going through well known firms of UK Head-hunters. When I seek feedback, they seem uncharacteristically awkward (these are people I've known for years, many of whom have placed me before) and struggle to give any meaningful feedback. Except for one - who has hinted that this may be due to the hiring managers informally approaching a senior exec at my former employer for an informal reference - with the inference that someone is providing materially adverse feedback. He also hinted at a particular exec.
My assumption is that Im not getting onto shortlists for one of three reason:
> Maybe I'm misreading the interviews and they didnt go that well ...... but I am quite experienced at interviewing, and traditionally have done well.
> Maybe the hiring managers see me in person and decide that Im too old (im in my 50s)
> Maybe firms are being put off by one adverse, informal referee
Question
- is the seeking and giving of informal references without my awareness/consent legal in the UK? I'm assuming it is
- is there any realistic way in law to seek confirmation of what has been said, by whom and to whom.
- is there any other course of action under the law open to me that might help
I wonder if anyone out there can advise.
Background
I left my last permanent role within financial services 14 months ago to take a specialist Masters degree. While working for this firm I always received strong annual performance ratings (exceeds, or strongly performing) and left after 6 positive years under the voluntary redundancy scheme as a good leaver. I left with the thanks of the Board for the positive impact I'd had, and (in addition to the usual company references) two senior colleagues (one board member, and one C-suite exec) kindly offered to act as personal referees. Subsequent to my leaving the firm, both the CEO and the Chairman left glowing personal endorsements on my linked-in page.
However, my subsequent experience of applying for senior financial services roles has left me concerned. I seem to have no problem getting onto the long list for initial interviews, at the point when the short list is being finalised my name is consistently being dropped. I am very well qualified (both through professional qualifications and experience) for the roles I am applying for, and all the interviews seem to go genuinely very well - eg: interviewers getting enthusiastically into "selling" the role to me, asking whether im interviewing for other roles and making it clear that they can fast track the next stage interview if necessary. So, I leave each interview very positively, and then typically hear nothing. For several of these roles I've been going through well known firms of UK Head-hunters. When I seek feedback, they seem uncharacteristically awkward (these are people I've known for years, many of whom have placed me before) and struggle to give any meaningful feedback. Except for one - who has hinted that this may be due to the hiring managers informally approaching a senior exec at my former employer for an informal reference - with the inference that someone is providing materially adverse feedback. He also hinted at a particular exec.
My assumption is that Im not getting onto shortlists for one of three reason:
> Maybe I'm misreading the interviews and they didnt go that well ...... but I am quite experienced at interviewing, and traditionally have done well.
> Maybe the hiring managers see me in person and decide that Im too old (im in my 50s)
> Maybe firms are being put off by one adverse, informal referee
Question
- is the seeking and giving of informal references without my awareness/consent legal in the UK? I'm assuming it is
- is there any realistic way in law to seek confirmation of what has been said, by whom and to whom.
- is there any other course of action under the law open to me that might help
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