A Negative Employment Reference Might Signal the Best Candidate

Employers typically overlook employment candidates with negative employment references and tend to hire those with better references only to find that in many instances it was the latter who was the bad choice. Both so often acquire unearned reputations from a clique of rotten apples with the power of influence. 

Many companies have bypassed the very best candidates for jobs based on hearsay or, in many instances, blatantly false information. That is not to say that this is always the case. The fact of the matter in many scenarios is that the ideal candidate acquired a bad rep for their excellence, attributable to the envy of superiors and/or co-workers who waged unmerited smear campaigns against them...

It is during the interview and candidate presentation that he or she has a chance to redeem themselves. They should shy away from providing too many specific details about their separation from their disgruntled previous employer and focus on demonstrating what they can offer the new company.

A dazzling resume and portfolio or work samples exhibiting transferable job skills that could resonate with the hiring company should earn the interview and potentially the opportunity. Giving the applicant with a negative reference a chance to prove or disprove hearsay could be the very best business move that a company makes.