Top Most Repeated HR Interview Question of the Day - May I contact your present employer for a reference

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While there are plenty of reasons why a candidate may not want their supervisor to be contacted, most professionals don’t want their current employer to know that they are interviewing elsewhere. Those who have been previously laid off— an already difficult topic to address — or had a bad experience at the company may even prefer to avoid any type of contact with these former employers.

Avoid Answering No to this question. This response may make them suspicious that you’re wary of a poor reference, that you could be hiding something, or that you never worked at that company in the first place. Instead, Tell the HR Manager that you're in a stealth job search and can't give permission for her or anyone else from her company to talk to your current boss.

Do not Panic. They will not judge you until they have heard your complete answer with reasons.You can even be honest in stating that your present employer is not aware of you hunting and you would appreciate to have any contact with them after having arrived some sort of agreementThis would only make it seem easier had you informed the current employer that you are hunting for a new job. If you haven't, you shouldn't ever omit this fact while answering. There are several ways of getting this right without sounding skeptical at all.

You can say that you have no objection for this but express your concern that it would be better if you could do it after arriving some sort of agreement.

 In most cases, answering “yes” will be the safest bet. But should you be wary of your past performance or of a sour past employer, make sure to tread carefully and use one of the above tips to answer the question.

Hence, the answer to this question should always be yes, no matter what. However, do ask him to enquire from your previous employer only after you have been selected for this job.

 

POINTS TO REMEBER

- Avoid Answering NO.

- If there is room on the application for a brief explanation, such as the fact that your manager no longer works at the company, be sure to include it.

- Start your answer with a ‘SURE, WHY NOT’.

- Speak the truth, no matter what it is. If you think that your previous employer is going to give an unsatisfactory review about you, then, you mention about the reason beforehand to your interviewer followed by the justification

 

SAMPLE ANSWER:

- Yes, you can absolutely do so but since I haven't informed them that I am job hunting it would only be fair if you could wait until we have come to a concordance for this position.

- No, I wouldn't ask you to do that right now because I do value the position I am currently holding at XYZ even though I am looking for a change. I would rather prefer that I inform the manager in person about my job hunt and then I am sure there will be no problem if you contact them.

- Yes, but I would prefer if you don’t do that at this stage and rather waited till the final stage when there is an offer on the table. To be honest, my current employer does not know that I am seeking a change. If possible, I would like to inform them personally when things starting getting finalized.