/me has job offer

Wheee!

My last job interview finally paid off... a company in the Albany area offered to hire me as a "Techwriter III", and I'm jolly well going to accept.

They liked me at the interview, and called me on Wednesday to see if I'd take the job. All that was needed was for my job references to go through... that almost killed the deal, though.

You see, two of my references were from SAS employees, and sometime in the last year (between now and the day they both said they'd be happy to act as references for me) SAS set up a policy of not allowing their employees to give out professional references. So Thursday I was told that two out of three references were not usable.

Urk.

So I spent all of Tuesday tracking down people I used to work with, and managed to rustle up two other references, for older jobs (I would have preferred job references from more recent jobs, but that's ok) and everything worked out.

So come November 25, barring the sudden downsizing of the company before I start, I'll be working full time again. For people who seem, at least initially, pretty darn cool.

So... yay me!

If I remember correctly, there was a lawsuit a while back that may be related to this... a guy was leaving a company and asked his manager if he could use him as a reference, the manager said "ok" -- then proceeded to trash talk the guy to anyone who called.

The guy sued the manager, which I can understand, but he also sued the company... and if I remember correctly, he won. Which seems a bit unfair, but I reckon if I was being smeared by my former manager I wouldn't be thinking too clearly either.

At any rate, if a company can be SUED for something that one of their employees says of their own volition... then it makes for them to start forbidding the practice of giving professional references.

--\r\n-------------------------------------------------------------------\r\n* Jack Troughton jake at consultron.ca *\r\n* [link|http://consultron.ca|http://consultron.ca] [link|irc://irc.ecomstation.ca|irc://irc.ecomstation.ca] *\r\n* Laval Qu\ufffdbec Canada [link|news://news.consultron.ca|news://news.consultron.ca] *\r\n-------------------------------------------------------------------

Post #60,735 by cwbrenn 11/2/02 1:12:05 PM Reply	/me has job offer Wheee! My last job interview finally paid off... a company in the Albany area offered to hire me as a "Techwriter III", and I'm jolly well going to accept. They liked me at the interview, and called me on Wednesday to see if I'd take the job. All that was needed was for my job references to go through... that almost killed the deal, though. You see, two of my references were from SAS employees, and sometime in the last year (between now and the day they both said they'd be happy to act as references for me) SAS set up a policy of not allowing their employees to give out professional references. So Thursday I was told that two out of three references were not usable. Urk. So I spent all of Tuesday tracking down people I used to work with, and managed to rustle up two other references, for older jobs (I would have preferred job references from more recent jobs, but that's ok) and everything worked out. So come November 25, barring the sudden downsizing of the company before I start, I'll be working full time again. For people who seem, at least initially, pretty darn cool. So... yay me! "We are all born originals -- why is it so many of us die copies?" - Edward Young
Post #60,736 by bepatient 11/2/02 1:12:53 PM Reply	Awesome!!! Congrats You were born...and so you're free...so Happy Birthday! _{Laurie Anderson} [link\|mailto:bepatient@aol.com\|BePatient]
Post #60,738 by ben_tilly 11/2/02 1:18:03 PM Reply	Yay you indeed! "Career politicians are inherently untrustworthy; if it spends its life buzzing around the outhouse, it\ufffds probably a fly." - [link\|http://www.nationalinterest.org/issues/58/Mead.html\|Walter Mead]
Post #60,741 by Another Scott 11/2/02 1:23:19 PM Reply	Congrats!
Post #60,742 by CRConrad 11/2/02 1:28:24 PM Reply	Yay in spades; congrats!
Post #60,743 by Yendor 11/2/02 1:32:12 PM Reply	Gratumalations! 2 sets of good news for the crew in a week! Things are starting to look up. That's kinda fucked RE: new SAS policy. WTF for? -YendorMike What if the hokey pokey really is what it's all about? - Jimmy Buffett, June 20, 2002, Tinley Park
Post #60,754 by broomberg 11/2/02 2:52:58 PM Reply	Reference policy Everybody is scared of being sued. ANYTHING you say as part of a reference is subject to the most nitpicking imaginable: "He was a valuable employee, who made many contributions and was a great resource. Everyone loved working with him, and he continuously pushed for better quality and production output" So, what you are saying is he cost too much, stepped on toes, and spread himself too thin. He also smoozed when he should have been working, and was a royal pain in the ass to everyone he wasn't shmoozing with. No wonder you fired him.
Post #60,795 by Ashton 11/2/02 6:58:42 PM Reply	Ah, I see: the death of any remote relationship to 'truth'
Post #60,815 by cwbrenn 11/2/02 10:26:02 PM Reply	It may not actually be their fault, though If I remember correctly, there was a lawsuit a while back that may be related to this... a guy was leaving a company and asked his manager if he could use him as a reference, the manager said "ok" -- then proceeded to trash talk the guy to anyone who called. The guy sued the manager, which I can understand, but he also sued the company... and if I remember correctly, he won. Which seems a bit unfair, but I reckon if I was being smeared by my former manager I wouldn't be thinking too clearly either. At any rate, if a company can be SUED for something that one of their employees says of their own volition... then it makes for them to start forbidding the practice of giving professional references. "We are all born originals -- why is it so many of us die copies?" - Edward Young
Post #60,745 by a6l6e6x 11/2/02 1:44:25 PM Reply	Good show! Alex "I have a truly marvelous demonstration of this proposition which this margin is too narrow to contain. -- Pierre de Fermat (1601-1665)
Post #60,748 by pwhysall 11/2/02 2:21:53 PM Reply	Rockin'. Peter [link\|http://www.debian.org\|Shill For Hire] [link\|http://www.kuro5hin.org\|There is no K5 Cabal] [link\|http://guildenstern.dyndns.org\|Blog]
Post #60,771 by SpiceWare 11/2/02 3:54:07 PM Reply	Hurray! Darrell Spice, Jr. [link\|http://home.houston.rr.com/spiceware/\|SpiceWare] - We don't do Windows, it's too much of a chore
Post #60,772 by boxley 11/2/02 3:57:49 PM Reply	Sell the house in NC yet? will work for cash and other incentives [link\|http://home.tampabay.rr.com/boxley/resume/Resume.html\|skill set] "Therefore, by objective standards, the leading managers of the U.S. economy...are collectively, clinically insane." Lyndon LaRouche
Post #60,778 by cwbrenn 11/2/02 4:26:00 PM Reply	Nope, not yet. Which is a shame... what with the holidays coming, I suspect it'll be on the market for a few months yet. :P All I need to do is figure out how to make a mortgage payment for November... if I can manage that, we'll be all set till I start working again. Assuming, you know, that nothing else goes horribly wrong. Which I'm assuming. Because I can't afford to assume the worst. :) "We are all born originals -- why is it so many of us die copies?" - Edward Young
Post #60,786 by boxley 11/2/02 5:15:49 PM Reply	you have a link to the listing? you never know where a google will turn up. thanx, bill will work for cash and other incentives [link\|http://home.tampabay.rr.com/boxley/resume/Resume.html\|skill set] "Therefore, by objective standards, the leading managers of the U.S. economy...are collectively, clinically insane." Lyndon LaRouche
Post #60,788 by cwbrenn 11/2/02 5:47:49 PM Reply	Sure thing. Take a gander if you want... assuming this link works properly. [link\|http://www.themansells.com/content/listdetail.html/11079682?proppos=13&ag_id=158602&pageclicked=2&startpos=11&endpos=20&ids=7832225,9178601,11079682,11186014,9689396,8788913,10654900&propertyCount=17\|http://www.themansel...&propertyCount=17] We're gonna miss that house. sniff "We are all born originals -- why is it so many of us die copies?" - Edward Young
Post #60,790 by boxley 11/2/02 6:08:28 PM Reply	I can see why, but you can do the brick salt and pepperbox in albany with a stately elm stump in the front yard. Think of fresh maple syrop in the spring, enjoy shoveling snow and you can let the grass grow to your armpits in some places. Hope it sells soon, I know what kind of nightmare I went thru. Pullin for ya. thanx, bill will work for cash and other incentives [link\|http://home.tampabay.rr.com/boxley/resume/Resume.html\|skill set] "Therefore, by objective standards, the leading managers of the U.S. economy...are collectively, clinically insane." Lyndon LaRouche
Post #60,800 by Ashton 11/2/02 8:06:03 PM Reply	Nifty! Doorways! ... portal to the suitably meticulous disassembly of the DOJ wet-suit orgy with certain barbaric per$onages and Ashcroftian drones.. With all that time spent on tech writing, who'd complain if you occasionally [cackled] with a new Alexism on.?. umm foxes appointed by the Court to police the henhouse (and ya stuffed it in Notepad)? Cheers, Ashton Prediction: cool evenings and Balmer-y daze
Post #60,811 by folkert 11/2/02 9:32:37 PM Reply	Will the BOSS... be Happy? But he dunna matter in the Real World?!?! `[link\|mailto:curley95@attbi.com\|greg] - Grand-Master Artist in IT [link\|http://www.iwethey.org/ed_curry/\|REMEMBER ED CURRY!!!] Your friendly Homeland Security Officer reminds: Hold Thumbprint to Screen for 5 seconds, we'll take the imprint, or Just continue to type on your keyboard, and we'll just sample your DNA.`
Post #60,848 by CRConrad 11/3/02 6:10:58 AM Reply	That's Hoppy to you, Buster!
Post #60,814 by Silverlock 11/2/02 10:25:14 PM Reply	Great news! "A civilian gang of thieving lobbyists for the military industrial complex is running the White House. If to be against them is considered unpatriotic -- Hell, then call me a traitor." -- Hunter S. Thompson
Post #60,839 by Steve Lowe 11/3/02 1:21:05 AM Reply	Awesome!! :-) ----- Steve
Post #60,855 by Meerkat 11/3/02 7:53:37 AM Reply	Woo Yeah! Marvellous stuff! John. Busy lad.
Post #60,862 by jake123 11/3/02 10:44:45 AM Reply	Congratulations, Chris. --\r\n-------------------------------------------------------------------\r\n* Jack Troughton jake at consultron.ca \r\n [link\|http://consultron.ca\|http://consultron.ca] [link\|irc://irc.ecomstation.ca\|irc://irc.ecomstation.ca] \r\n Laval Qu\ufffdbec Canada [link\|news://news.consultron.ca\|news://news.consultron.ca] *\r\n-------------------------------------------------------------------
Post #60,867 by slugbug 11/3/02 11:43:37 AM Reply	Chris, way to go!
Post #60,959 by static 11/4/02 1:49:32 AM Reply	So IOW, iwethey++. :-) "Professional" references died out in Au about 5 years ago. I could only get Personal References went I was looking, but that's all people were looking for. Wade. "Ah. One of the difficult questions."

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