I was recently moved to a new position, 3 months ago, and my relationship with the current supervisor is so poor that I decided to leave. I have gone through the interview process at another employer, and on the application, I checked the box that they cannot contact my current employer(it is ridiculous that the box was even there if contacting your current supervisor is a requirement to be hired). Now I have been told by my prospective employer that I have been chosen, but they cannot extend an offer until they contact my current supervisor and current company. I hate to walk away from this new job, but I cannot see a way that I can allow the prospective employer to contact my current supervisor while I am still employed there or even after I have put in 2 weeks notice. Even if they extend an offer and I accept it, if they contact my current supervisor I am toast. My company gives out full references, not the standard, dates of employment only BS. They know it creates liability for them but they do it anyway. Has anyone ever run into a situation like this with a prospective employer? Any ideas on how I can handle this? I really want the new job but don’t see how I can let them contact my current employer.
I can’t believe ur current employer actually gives a full BS reference!?..
What are you gonna do? Just stay in a crappy job for the rest of your life coz ur scared that the new employer will contact your current one?..
You gotta bite the bullet, take a risk and make the move. The only way your new employer is gonna renegade on the agreement is if you completely BS’d in the interview. Andyour current employer can’t sack you for looking for other opportunities!! If they do, then just sue their ass.
Will your new employer accept references from colleagues or former bosses? Have you signed a contact yet and have they accepted it subject to the reference?
This is the first employer that I have ever heard of that is insisting on contacting “current supervisor” before they even make an offer to me. In essence they want me to give 2 weeks notice because they said they will give me an offer, then they want to call my current supervisor, then if all is cool after that, they will give me a written offer, which by the way I haven’t even negotiated with them, so I guess this whole BS procedure gives them all the negotiating leverage too. In essence I would have to take whatever offer they have if all goes well or face unemployment. Because i am gone once my supervisor knows I am getting an offer possibly somewhere else.
Every other job change in my life, you just check “don’t contact current employer” and all is good, they call employers prior to your current employer
How can I bite the bullet and have them call my supervisor before I even have an offer in hand, that is illogical insanity to me. In my mind, I was gonna walk from this offer because their “ask” just involves too much risk. There are plenty of employers that don’t do this, pretty much 99% of all other employers don’t do this, so I won’t be stuck in my current job forever, but I was just searching for a way around this, because I really want the new job.
I would explain the situation to your prospective employer what you described above and insist on confidentiality. Perhaps you could give them a difference reference at your current employer other than your supervisor. Someone you trust.
If the risk is too great for you to have them contact your current supervisor, then tell that to the prospective employer and seek another job.
You could lie and say somebody you trust is your current supervisor. Overall though that requirement sounds insane to me.
As pokhim said, if you felt like it, if they take back your offer based on direct feedback from your prior employer, you would likely have basis to sue the prior employer.
Can’t lie because filled out the application 2 months ago and had no idea this BS would come up. I figured you check the box “don’t contact current employer” and its done. My only move is to call them and try to get them to speak with someone else at the firm, if they absolutely insist on current supervisor, I will probably walk. It’s unreal a place that manages $10+billion operates like this. They literally think they can do or ask anything they want of candidates including risking unemployment just for the chance of an offer from them.
^Have you applied to work for Janus?
A friend once told me they ask for contact details of your supervisor and insist speaking to him before offer
I would consider if this (the new place) is the kind of place you want to work. Who allows you to check a box saying do not contact current employer and then says they’ll only give you an offer if they can talk with them?
I am kind of in your situation right now. They assume that you’re going to accept the offer. What if you choose not to accept the offer. This would jeopardize your relationship with your current employer.
I woud advise them that they can contact your reference after an official offer letter. And if you decide to accept the offer, you can give your employer’s reference.
that’s messed up. never seen that before.
Call your lawyer (you should always have lawyer buddies as they are good for intimidating people!).
Maybe lawyer could call the supervisor and tell him to STFU when called, or call the hiring company and inform them this is stupid. My legal-dude did this for me once in a different situation, and the HR people STFU real fast! 
And they hired me, no bad feelings. It just shows you know your rights.
That’s pretty weird though, everyone seems to know you can’t do that.
Lying is never a good play; you will eventually be found out and blacklisted from the company or terminated if you’ve already started working there. I second Jbrowntown’s advice- you need to explain (in sincere but non-defensive language) the situation to your prospective employer. Emphasize how much you look forward to joining [prospective employer], but that it’s too risky for your current employer to find out that you’re interviewing elsewhere before you even have an offer in hand. Hopefully rational minds will prevail.
I spoke to the prospective employer and they said it is an absolute requirement to speak with my current supervisor prior to an offer. I am walking, that is ridiculous. No sane person would take that risk, they think this is helping them get good people? They are insane, this process assures the opposite. I wish they would have told me this 4 interviews ago. The worst part about it is that the Director is embarrassed by it and has said it has been a problem in the past, but it is a requirement that can’t be waived.
It is so hard to get some of the good jobs nowadays, so frustrating and then to be picked to get the F%^%^N job and then run into this and have to walk is infuriating and frustrating to no end.
^ I think you are doign the right thing walking away. If this is how it is with new folks, imagine the more horrid policies they have once you start working there
Yes, tell them, “I’m not going to risk getting fired or put on probation at my current job before I have a desirable offer on the table elsewhere. If you cannot accept that as a reasonable requirement from a rational person, then I don’t think it is a good idea to work for you.”
Good call.
Besides even if after burning your bridge they gave you an offer, your salary negotiating power would be screwed.
Tell them that you are considering multiple offers and none of them have asked for references and then say that you would have to regretably withdraw your candidacy. Since you’re already walking, might as well just throw it back at them to see if they would back off this requirement.
You have to give them the ultimatum that they drop the requirement or you pull out of the process. I have never heard a company ask for this before and frankly it is bizarre. As someone else said, do you want to work somewhere that has such illogical policies?
Frustrating, but just have to move on to the next opportunity.
I would definitely walk away. The risk reward becomes asymmetric to the prospective employer. Why do you even want to agree to this when you have no idea what they’ll even offer you? If this potential employer can’t make a business decision without 100% complete information, it seems like a nightmare place to work in the long term.
They are rational people constrained by an irrational procedure/requirement. They won’t budge on it, and I told her straight up that I would get fired on the spot that my current supervisor got that call. The Director said she wish she could waive it but the parent company won’t let her. Sad, so sad, their returns are top quartile too, it just makes me think how do they get good employees, because I think the majority of people would walk too. All those employees there rolled the dice with unemployment, destroying all negotiating power, for a job that hasn’t even officially been offered to them yet. How can smart people be so dumb. I am most pissed they didn’t tell me this BS earlier when they know people balk at it. I think they wait until you are personally invested to the job and then spring this on you at the end. I have no idea, but its ridiculous.
Thank you everyone for your responses, because I had to confirm I was acting rationally