'I cost him his desired job': Admin employee gets back at condescending colleague by revealing to a hiring manager his bad nature during a reference call for his next job

Author image for Bar Mor Hazut
Bar Mor Hazut • Senior Editor
May 29, 2025 11:00 AM EDT

We've never understood the idea behind asking a job candidate to give out contact information of their former employers to ask for a reference. There are so many reasons why these references are less than effective.

Firstly, because usually when people are looking for a new job, they do it without letting their bosses in their current job know, so they can't really put them down as references. How awkward would it be to find out that someone called your boss, told them you are looking for another job, and asked about you as an employee?

Secondly, the only people candidates would feel comfortable listing as references are those they can count on to say good things. Would you ever let a former employer, whom you don't trust or get along with, talk to your next potential employer? Well, if you actually want the job, we strongly recommend against it. As a general pro-tip, maybe you should simply be kind and pleasant to anyone you work with, because you can never know when you might need their help or recommendation.

If you are still not fully convinced, maybe the story below will help you out. 

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    Cheezburger Image 10511052032
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    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

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    Condescending colleague - I cost him his desired job

    I work in admin in a private school. Some years ago we had a new history teacher - straight out of university - who thought he was the Universe's gift to education,
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    and because I worked in admin, I was a lower form of life. He was condescending and quite often just plain rule.
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    A few years later, he had moved schools. My boss was out of the office, so I picked up a call for him, and was asked if he could give a reference for a former
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    teacher, who had applied to one of our city's most prestigious boys' schools. I asked who the reference was for, so I could give my boss a heads-up, and - oh joy! it
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    was the unpleasant ex- colleague! Before I could stop myself I started to laugh. The very nice deputy head on the line asked me why. I told him I was
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    prejudiced, because of the way he treated me, but also said that the history marks the years he taught at our school were the worst they had ever been. My boss
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    came back later and phoned this man, and when asked if he would re-employ said person, said definitely not. Boss and I shared a good laugh about that one!
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    Cheezburger Image 10511065344
    via indypendenz

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

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    n2musicchick His history did him in.
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    Main_Scallion2394 Honestly, if he treated admin like they were beneath him, he was never going to survive at a more prestigious school
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    anyway. The way someone treats support staff says everything. You didn't sabotage him, karma just needed a witness.
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    blobbysnorey I've never been of the opinion to give someone a high rating for a reference just to move them along p's poor performance receives p. s poor ratings
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    foxymoron You never know who might be able to hold the door open for you later in life or slam it in your face. Be nice.
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    berryitaly Admins do indeed see everything because I'm one. People talk in front of me and I see different approaches to the same situation, and I see whose approach was successful and whose were not. I see or hear of all types of behaviors so yeah...
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    dnhs47 One company I worked for, back when all interviews were in-person (before Skype, etc.), included receptionists in the candidate interview process.
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    They didn't "interview" the candidate per se, but were always asked about how the candidate interacted with them. I saw many candidates tagged "no hire" because of ride,
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    unpleasant interactions with the receptionists. Who needs that in the workplace, right? There was even a clue in the "we'd like you to come for an interview" letter, that their interview would "begin upon
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    arrival at our office." No one paid any attention to that, though, so the receptionists saw (and shared!) the candidates' true colors, for better or worse.
    via dnhs47

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boss workplace-stories employee manager job tales-from-the-workplace coworkers reddit story petty revenge hiring colleague workplace Reddit company funny
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