Michael Tiernan <michael.tier...@gmail.com> writes: > ----- "Daniel Rich" <dr...@employees.org> wrote: > > and those tended to be > > personality clashes more than technical skills. > > This leads me to jump the track and ask a parallel question. > > How do you handle getting asked about someone you work with or used to work > with? > > Not really being asked as a reference, although that deserves discussion, but > just as an "off the cuff" question.
Saying things that are both true and also good, I think, is a good thing for all involved. But, uh, I won't give negative evaluations of individuals, and I try not to say bad things about competitors. (businesses that are not my competitors, however, are fair game.) I might avoid the question, as you did, or I might outright refuse to answer if I really can't say anything good about the person, or if they are wholly unsuited for the job in question, but I won't say bad things about someone who has worked with or for me, at least not to a potential employer with whom I have no relationship. I think this is expected. In all my years of asking for references, I've gotten lots on non-responses and outright refusals, but I've never heard a negative recommendation for anyone I've been involved with hiring. I mean, the requester knows that he's asking me (someone he usually doesn't know very well) for an opinion on someone I do know, someone I have a relationship with. The assumption is that I'm going to error on the side of the positive. It is different when it's an employer, a client, or someone else with whom you have a relationship asking for an evaluation. In that case, I try to be as honest and impartial as I can. But I think in the usual case, where someone random asks you about someone you know, it's in your interest to say things that are both true and good about the person, and to otherwise not say anything. I think this is a little like the tradition of taking an employee into your office and closing the door before reprimanding or firing them. There's no reason why everyone in the office needs to hear it, /especially/ if the problem is a personality conflict. Personally, I think that providing a negative evaluation goes beyond any sort of responsibility that you have to people you don't know. Sure, if I'm on a deserted road and I see a breakdown, I'll stop to help, but if I'm in a real hurry, or if the area looks unsafe? eh, I'll call it in when I get cell coverage. There are limits on what random people can expect from me. sorry. _______________________________________________ Discuss mailing list Discuss@lopsa.org http://lopsa.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/discuss This list provided by the League of Professional System Administrators http://lopsa.org/
