Job Discussion Forums

[rainbowprof]

Is it common for employers to contact referees and check references in Saudi? Do many of you have experience where your employer contacted the person or people who wrote your references? If so, what did they ask?

[Imdramayu]

Be careful with who you choose as your reference from your previous employer. Ideally, you should use your boss or person you reported to. My friend did that and got burnt. So, I always use anyone who technically my superiour at any point of time when I worked there.

Im

[veiledsentiments]

Seems common sense that you choose to list references that will say something good about you. You never know whether jobs will actually contact them or not. Always assume that they will...

VS

[rainbowprof]

sound advice. Wish I could read the minds of those that gave me references. Some people are so petty that they begrudge the thought that another may be moving on to something better and leaving them behind.

[johnslat]

In Saudi, every time I left, I'd ask the director of the language center at the IPA for a "letter of reference."

They all responded: "You write it; I'll sign it."

Well, it was hard to be humble - so, I never was. .

Regards,
John

[rainbowprof]

[johnslat]

Dear rainbowprof,

Well, that will depend entirely upon your writing skill .

Regards,
John

[rainbowprof]

Excellent point. I've been weighing in on that exact issue. Looks like I should open a new gmail account or 3
I know there's at least one person that will supports me unfailingly.

[casio]

People who you can count on to speak highly of you are the people you want to keep on your Christmas (or whatever holiday) cards list. I usually accept iTunes vouchers in return for kind words!!

[Imdramayu]

Who does one use as their reference form the previous employer? How important is it to use one's direct boss? What if one is not too sure about how their ex-boss will say when asked to write a direct reference to the new company that you are a candidate for?

Would using a lower person who technically wasn't your boss but was in a higher position than you be OK?

Im

[rainbowprof]

I suppose you're the only person who really knows the hierarchy at your previous place of employment....

[Imdramayu]

I know the pecking order @ my workplace but loyalty & honesty, I don't know. So, I choose a colleague at the same level as me but was a coordinator in a my department. Not my senior or boss technically but someone I really trust to write a honest & kind reply to my future company's request for a reference.

This worked because I got the job.

Im

[scot47]

Sensible employers -and there SOMeE in KSA - do not rely on what is written on a bit of paper. They use the "Telegraphe Arabe". I often used it myself when inquiring about would-be-colleagues on behalf of my Moorish Masters. Remember that the culture here is all about SPEECH not about WRITING !

A quick phone call to one of my agents and all is revealed about the dark past of a would-be EFLer !

Of course if that person had only worked in Korea or Chine my contacts were no good. But like the oldtimer at ELS I used to put CV's that revealed Korea or China straight in the bin

[rainbowprof]

Aha, scot, now we know a little more of the workings that go on behind the scene!

[Imdramayu]

(1) How does one develop a network of agents? Are they mostly Arabic people who have an inside track on personnel in the company?

(2) How does a particular person get the word out that he is a "good person"?

(3) How reliable are these agents? From your, Scot, how many times have they been correct in their estimation or prediction?

Im