How much information do previous employers give to prospective employers?

manpreet Best Answer 3 years ago

Reading this question, I came across the staement:

I know they are going to confirm degree with previous employer

In my experience, in the UK, most previous employers will only confirm that the person worked for them between the dates specified, they don't supply character references or anything that couldn't be seen as objectively true in court

Have I lead an unusually sheltered professional life? Does this vary from country to country?

I'm not asking about CRB/DBS-type background checks carried out by third parties.

manpreet 3 years ago

Typically, such reference requests are handled by HR, and HR only confirms the period of employment, and if the person is eligible for rehire.

There is no law preventing a company from giving a more informative review, it is just a matter of the people doing the reference do not have the information.