Reference Dilemma

Good day,

I was a full time law clerk for 3 years, but in the course of my duties I also was a technician, webmaster (and designer of the firm site). In title I was a law clerk, and was hired exclusively for that role, but over the years, as people realized I had technical experience I began to function as a law clerk/technician/webmaster.

So, I asked my old boss if he could give me a reference in relation to the IT work I did at the firm, to which he responded:

Given that you were working here as a law clerk and not as an IT person, I'm not able to give you a reference as to your computer skills, etc.

I intended to write on my resume something along the lines of: "While employed as a law clerk, became increasingly involved in firm IT based on aptitude and eventually took responsibility for technical support and webmaster issues." That way, employers understand that I was hired as a law clerk but gradually entered into tech support as well.

I did things like:
Build and maintaining the firm website;
Diagnose and resolve software or hardware issues;
Troubleshot and corrected network connection problems;
Performed network and system security maintenance;
And plenty more...

These are skills that are transferable and, I think, should be included on my IT resume but my old boss will not give me a reference for it.

Opinions on what I should do in this situation.

Thank you for any advice provided.

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Comments

Michael.J.Palmer

This is something that most of us have a problem with when we're transitioning from one field to another. The best I can say is that your previous work references can still work out as a character reference if anything. Most of the time an interviewer isn't gonna call a reference until after the in person interview, at that point they may have a good idea of your IT knowledge base by asking you IT specific questions during the interview so anything they'll ask a reference will probably be character related more than anything else.

Just my two cents, I wouldn't worry about it so much and if you wanted to go back to your old boss and ask him to be a character reference then I'm sure they'll be up for that.

apr911

Just because the job is on your resume doesnt mean you want them used as a reference so another option is to always not use them as a reference. There is nothing stopping you from that.

This gets even easier when youve held a number of positions with different companies. Most applications/reference requests I see ask for 3-5 so if you have 6 companies you can usually leave one off without questions being asked.

Even if you have only a few companies/positions on your resume, you can usually leave 1 off without too many questions being asked. Just think of ways to answer any questions that might come up if asked about it, be honest and sincere with your answer but also be diplomatic as well.

For example in your case, I would consider saying something along the lines of "I was hired and employed there as a Law Clerk and while during my tenure there I also became heavily involved in the IT side of the business, my position first and foremost was as a law clerk, thus I feel they would be an inadequate reference to my IT experience"

This response is truthful, sincere and it doesnt come right out and say "my former boss wont be a reference for my IT Experience" which if said directly would probably throw up red flags.

If they continue to press the issue after that, consider if this is really a company you want to work for.

A few other important things to remember for interviews:

1. Unless you directly name the person as a reference, in most states, former employers can be held liable for what they say about your employment/work if it prevents you from getting the job or otherwise influences the offer (such as salary). Therefore, most companies will not answer questions about employees beyond verification of employment and dates and if you were or were not rehireable, anything beyond that opens the door for litigation.

2. You can respectfully decline to answer any question the interviewer asks. Do this at your own risk though as with the exception of some federally (and locally) protected issues, it could hurt your chance of employment. Declining to answer those protected issues could also hurt chance of employment but it would open the company up to litigation so most companies know better than to ask.

3. Most hiring managers know well enough that not every job is the right fit for people and sometimes clashes can and do occur but more importantly than just knowing this, they also understand it and respect it. Most wont blink twice if you include a job but not a reference.

There are a lot of different ways you could handle this situation and its really up to you and how you are best able to spin it. Myself personally, Id either not reference the job at all (aside from on my resume) or have another discussion with my former boss and discuss it further, explaining what im trying to achieve, why, how and what i did for them.

Remember the higher up the chain you go, the further away from the front lines they are and the less likely someone will be able to directly comment on your work or know that you did anything other than the job description you were assigned.

plantage

Very true and good advice from both Michael and apr911. I should easily be able to get a character reference from them. And I do have one reference from the president of an IT company I used to work for. The other reference is someone in a good position in the company I want to apply to, who will recommend me again based on character. I hope that would be enough. This is definitely a transitional stage in my career. I've gone from a jack of all trades IT guy to a law clerk and now trying to get back into IT (which I have accepted is my preferred profession).

So, I'm assuming that for an IT posting, I don't bother putting on my resume my law clerk duties (since no one in IT cares that I can research case law and write up legal briefs) but will still put my IT duties as webmaster/designer and technical responsibilities on.

Thanks for the advice!

Michael.J.Palmer

I'd still list it for a couple of reasons. Even though it's not directly "IT related" it could still function as a good listing for indirect experience on something else. For example, if you're applying for a position that may require you to take lead of a team and show strong multi-tasking skills than your background in clerical law may actually help showcase that you have experience in working in high stress situations and what not and may have indirectly learned skills that would help you in that position.

Another reason you probably would want to list it regardless is if it causes a gap in employment history without it being there then you may be asked by the interviewer "So, what did you do during this gap?" At that point you'd be forced to tell them, and depending on the interviewer, they may take it two different ways. Either they'll understand that it wasn't IT related work so you decided to omit it, or they'll assume that maybe you had something to hide by omitting it since they're not used to applicants omitting just one or some of their prior work history just based on the notion that it's not IT related.

You be the judge on it, though I don't see any harm in listing it. I list my retail management experience mainly because it shows that I have a strong customer service background, that's a crucial skill for anyone who applies for a help desk or desktop support position as you'll be dealing with clients and offering a service on a daily basis, sure, it's not a sales service, but you still have to know how to communicate to them just like they're a customer, so I've actually had interviewers make comment of my strong customer service background as they look over my resume in front of me.

Devilsbane

Maybe your boss just made up that response because he didn't want his name tied to you and that was his way of gracefully declining?

We all have to get in the field somewhere. Some do it out of college, and some do it from a different career path. My first references were some teachers that I worked with, a family friend who is a software engineer that has known me for my entire life, and the Tutoring coordinator where I volunteered for 2 years. The teachers could speak for my IT skills, but the others were just vouching for my character and my personality.

I wouldn't push the issue with your boss if I were you. He said no, so just find someone else.

And to answer your other question, I listed both of my retail jobs working as a photo developer and as a backroom employee. Doesn't show IT, but does show that I can hold a job down. You certainly want to have some experience on your resume (even if it is unrelated, if that is all you have) and you also don't want to leave big gaps. Employers will look at that as a weakness. (Were you fired from some place and couldn't get anywhere else, are you hiding a job because you don't want us to know ect). So if there are gaps in your work history, be prepared to tell them what you were doing if you get an interview. (Went back to school, doing a big project on the house, ect. They don't want to hear that you were tired of working and just kicked back on the sofa for 6 months.)

plantage

Thanks for the advice, everyone. Thankfully, I was able to negotiate a letter reference from my former employer that will confirm my dates of employment, the duties as a law clerk, my good character, and that I was there for software and hardware questions. Not the best, but it will do. I have also asked a couple of partners (who owe me favours) if they could give me letter reference for the IT support I performed for them. That would supplement the reference from my actual boss.

Thanks for the advice everyone! It is greatly appreciated!!