Is it your obligation to let someone for whom you're
serving as a reference know what is said during a conversation with his or her
prospective new employer?
Several weeks ago, B.B., a reader who is a college
instructor, agreed to serve as a job reference for a former student. It's the
kind of task he regularly takes on, particularly in the spring as commencement
draws near. B.B. had no hesitation in agreeing to serve as a reference for this
student.
Prior to the call from the prospective employer, the
student filled B.B. in on the organization he'd applied to work for and
provided some details about the job for which he was being considered.
The telephone conversation between B.B. and the
prospective employer went well. They discussed the student, the organization,
and how the student might fit with the organization in terms of job
responsibilities and organizational culture.
Late on in the conversation, the prospective employer
said, "One of his other instructors tells us that he's great when he shows
up in class, but that he only shows up when he has a paper or presentation
due."
B.B. was taken aback since this wasn't his experience
with the student in the classes he had had him in. Still, B.B. didn't want to
let the negative observation lie. "That's not been my experience with
him," B.B. told the prospective employer. "He was always in class and
always prepared."
The prospective employer seems pleased with B.B.'s
response, B.B. says, and they moved on to other questions about the student and
his potential for the open position. All in all, except for that one
observation about his behavior in someone else's class, it was a positive
conversation.
But now that he's given the reference, B.B. wonders if he
has an ethical responsibility to let his student know about the comment made
about his behavior in someone else's class.
"Wouldn't it be helpful for him to know that he'd
chosen someone as a reference who wasn't being entirely positive about him?"
asks B.B. "Am I obligated to tell him?"
B.B. has no obligation to tell the student what was said
during the discussion with his prospective employer. B.B. doesn't know how many
other former teachers the student listed as references, so he might be placing
them all under suspicion of having commented on the student's attendance. The
student knew his behavior in each of his other classes and should have had the
good judgment to know that if he didn't show up to class regularly then asking
the teacher of that class to serve as a reference was likely not a great idea.
While he has no obligation, unless he agreed to keep the
conversation confidential, B.B. is free to tell his student whatever he wants
about the reference call.
Once he agreed to be a reference, the right thing is for
B.B. to be honest and forthcoming about his former student with his prospective
employer. The right thing for the employer is to gather as much information
about the student as possible. And the right thing for the student is to choose
his references wisely, and to recognize the importance of meeting his
obligations by showing up.
Jeffrey L. Seglin, author of The Simple Art of Business Etiquette: How to Rise to the Top by Playing Nice, is a lecturer in public policy and director of the communications program at Harvard's Kennedy School. He is also the administrator of www.jeffreyseglin.com, a blog focused on ethical issues.
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