List current employer on references?

Quick question for you vets, do you typically list your current employer as a reference? And what do you do when the paper your applying for asks for their info? I don't really want my current employer to know I'm interviewing for other positions unless they have to, but I wasn't sure what the protocol was here.

 

If you don't want your current employer to know you are job hunting, leave it off.

 

I did that but the employer requested it specifically.

 

Well, either your current employer finds out you're looking or you disregard a request from your potential new employer. Only you know which one is more important.

Gotta say, though, if I asked someone for a reference and they didn't want to give it to me because they didn't want their employer to find out, I'd be wondering how long it would take before said employee would be doing the same thing behind my back.

 

Typically, if you want to keep it private, make sure the person your submitting the information too that unless you get a job offer they can't call. Then, after the job offer, if they don't like what your employer says then they can rescind it. This is professional. This isn't a home depot job your going for. If it's a professional place, they will understand.

BTW, unless you are at a horrid shop, as a matter of professional courtesy they would let you interview. However. I know places that would fire you on the spot if they found out you were looking to leave. Sales jobs are like that a lot.

 

This is always such a tricky subject. My standard protocol the couple of times I've changed jobs is not to tell my current employer and not to list my current supervisor as a reference. I will list co-workers I trust as references. I haven't had a place require my current supervisor as a reference, but if it's a place you want to work and it's non-negotiable, you gotta do it. You can, as it's been mentioned, ask that they only call your boss if you're the top candidate (even before the job is offered) and to at least give you a heads up when they're going to call so you can talk to your boss about it first.

 

I find it hard to understand why a prospective employer would want your current boss' reference. I would be kind of leery of someone who doesn't seem to grasp the politics of that situation.

 

Reference doesn't necessarily have to be a boss. Some bosses have been in their positions such a short time to be useless as a reference (I have had five "supervisors" since 2004). Other "bosses" may be so disconnected with what you do day to day that they cannot speak intelligently about your qualifications.

For references I use colleagues at my current employer whom I trust and who have worked with or alongside me for more than a decade.

 

I don't, but that's because I can't. We have a policy that all an employee can do when asked about someone is confirm that they work there, and then send the query to HR.

 

That can also be important if you and your former boss separated on bad terms. That happened to me at my old shop, but a couple of my former co-workers in key positions within the company both volunteered themselves as references.

When I talked to someone from the one-stop career center, she said that was vital.