A community of 30,000 US Transcriptionist serving Medical Transcription Industry

Do you think MTSOs/hospitals keep an MT - BLACKLIST? S/M

Posted: Jul 23, 2012

I've been applying and applying for every in house MT job that comes along in my area. I have the skills, I have the experience, and all that. Even for jobs where I would have been a perfect fit, I'm always passed over. Although I'm applying for in house, I realize that many of them also have outside vendors for overflow, or did in the past, and are transitioning back to in house. For quite some time, I've had a suspicion that one bad-apple past supervisor is ruining my chances every time they get a call from a current prospective employer. Unfortunately, I have to list that place of employment because I was there for a long time, and it makes up a large part of my previous experience that can't be swept under the rug. Do you think hospitals and MTSOs collaborate and share a "no hire" list (aka "blacklist")? With each passing day, I'm more and more convinced that they DO.

I have no proof, but I do think they share a "blacklist". - anon

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I had this happen - anon

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I had my husband call the place and ask for a job referrence. They started lying and talking garbage about me and my husband then told them he was a lawyer and would sue them if they ever said another negative word about me.

Guess what, bad referrence went away. From that point on they gave my times of employment and nothing more.

hmm... - Nobody

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This is something I have been suspicious about. You were smart to check on it.

OMG - I love it! What a great husband you have! - I know theyre only supposed to - SM

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give dates of employment, but I think they get around that by answering "yes" and "no" to questions the potential employer asks. So far I haven't heard that it's illegal for them to ask anything they want, right? Or am I wrong about that?

All they have to ask is "would you hire Jane Doe again?", and all they have to say is "no". Employer could ask, "Are they over 50?" Ans: "Yes". "Were you satisfied with their work?" Ans: "No". Etc. etc.

I may try your approach, because I positively MUST get out of this company before I starve to death and/or get evicted from my apartment. Both are headed my way if I don't find something, SOON!

They can ask anything they want but . . . - anon

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a lot of them refuse to do anything more than give dates for fear of being sued.

If you know what company is potentially giving you a bad referrence, I would absolutely call them and threaten them.

I am not entirely sure if there are actual laws about what they can divulge but most companies refuse to give referrences of any kind including the "would you rehire them question." So there must be something to it.

"Are they over 50"??!! Hardly!! - sm

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Every employer in the world knows that they had better neither ask NOR answer that question!! Good way to get the prior employer to terminate your phone inquiry toot sweet. One of the protected employment classes is all persons 40 years of age or older.

However, prior employers ARE AT LIBERTY TO PROVIDE FACTUAL, JOB-RELATED INFORMATION - AND IN MOST STATES ARE PROTECTED FROM ANY LIABILITY FOR DOING SO.

In fact, if a prior employer knows of something that is factual and relevant and refuses to divulge that information, they can be sued for THAT should this become relevant to problems at the employee's next job.

This old idea that all a prior employer can provide is "dates of employment" and whether the individual is "rehirable" or not is an old wives' tale.

Old Wives Tale - On site MT

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It's company policy not to divulge info where I work, and it's been stated in employee meetings what they will and will not tell. In large organizations, HR generally does not know much about a particular employee unless it's serious and has been "written up" and is in the personnel file. A manager would have that information, however.

Also - On site MT

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There's a statute of limitations in most states as to how long records can be kept on terminated employees. Any comments made by managers with an axe to grind should, and probably are, taken with a grain of salt by the prospective employer, assuming we are dealing with professional, mature individuals. To the OP, I would not take is personally, they probably had hundreds of applicants. You are making an assumption that you were the best qualified for the job and only assuming that they said something negative about you.

I may or may not be best qualified, but will never - know what they didnt see in me - sm-(OP)

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because I'm never given a chance. Whenever I'm granted an interview, but don't get the job, I contact them and very politely ask if there was any skill or attribute they would've liked to see that I didn't have, and the answer is always the same: SILENCE.

What about professional referrences? - anon

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Do you check with them first to make sure what they will say?

I had 2 people put my name down as a referrence and in order to preserve my own reputation (small MT community in my town and we all worked in-house at the time) I could not give them a good referrence. I was unwilling to give a good referrence when I knew that their performance would reflect badly on me.

Sometimes we might thinkg someone likes us and will give a good referrence but that is not a gaurantee unless you ask them first. If these 2 lady's had asked me first I would have told them NOT to use me.

Professional references - sm

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I have never used anyone as a reference unless I asked them first. I would expect the same from someone asking me to give them a reference.

I've got 'em, and no one ever calls 'em. - And yes, I choose my references carefully. nm

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What would you tell them... - (see message)

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....had they asked you first? I admit that I'd have a hard time knowing what to say if someone asked if they could use me as a reference, but I didn't like them! It's probably a cop-out, but I'd probably say, "Sure," and then pray like crazy that I didn't get called!!! LOL.

I've never been called by any potential employers asking about a reference for someone else, anyway, but just wondering how you would tell them not to use you.

Wouldn't be easy - anon

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The problem was they tried to get jobs at places where I was personal friends with the head MT and/or supervisor, so it was guaranteed they would call me. Early in my MT career I moved around to multiple in-house positions to gain experience in different areas, so I ran across A LOT of MTs.

I had to be honest because neither one of them were very good MTs (I know it sounds super cold, but honestly some people just aren't cut out for it and just want something where they can work from home). I could not in good conscience recommend them. One was a new MT who could barely do 1 specialty and she wanted me to recommend her for an in-house hospital job.

I know it sounds like I am trying to justify giving a bad ref and I guess I am because I really hated doing it.

If they had asked in advance, I would have told them not to use me, as I was not really "friends" with either of them. I had simply worked in the same office with them. However, they knew I was friends with the people hiring so figured they would use that connection.

They never used me as a referrence again, though.

I will say that I have given glowing referrences for 3-4 other MTs. But honestly I have only ever been called by in-house personnel. I know my friends have used my name for MTSO jobs and I have never been called for those.

Over-40 may be "protected", but from what? I still - get bullied at work, cant land a new job.

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Besides myself, I know quite a few other people my age (60+) who have all the skills, but no one will hire.

Not "officially," but... - (see message)

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....I do think employers think twice about hiring someone in the 50+ age group. Forty--not so much, maybe. I think 40+ is still a decent age for finding a new job.

My daughter is an HR specialist, and she has told me that, unfortunately, although they aren't allowed to discriminate based on age, many employees DO have trouble getting hired beyond a certain age. No employer needs to really ASK your age, once they lay eyes on you (or see that your work experience goes back to the 1980s--LOL). I don't see how one could PROVE that that's the reason they didn't get hired...the employer can give other excuses why they didn't hire an older candidate.

As a 50+ job-seeker, I think it stinks to high heaven, of course! I know that at my age, I'm so much more mature and dependable than I would be if I still had young kids at home who might get sick or need me at the drop of a hat. I also hardly ever use my cell phone and don't text....don't even have a smart phone....so I won't ever surreptitiously be using or looking at my cell phone on company time, which I saw my younger counterparts doing all the time when I worked at a hospital.

I can understand the employers' point of view--not wanting to devote a lot of time and cost to training someone who might only be working a few more years; but with the way younger people are so much more mobile than we ever were at that age (and not as devoted to one long-term employer anymore--which I don't blame them for), there's no guarantee that a younger employee is going to stick around more than a few years, either.

Except that nowadays, many over-50s will NEVER - be able to afford to retire.

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I wish more employers would take that into consideration. I can't hide the number of years I've worked, because I tend to stay at one job for a long, long time. However, although I'm in my 60's, most people think I'm in my 40's. Whenever I tell someone my true age, they're shocked.

Also, MT is a rough field to be in. It was even in the past. I wish potential employers would focus more on what an MT can DO, and do NOW, not whatever bumps in the road there may have been in the past. Sometimes, instead of that signalling a troublesome employee, it can mean that employee can weather a storm, hangs in there, and has learned a lot from experience about what they should and should not do on the job.

It blows my mind that employers and HR people are so dense they can't see this.

Had this happen? - On site MT

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Times/dates of employment are all they are supposed to give, they can verify that you worked there. They are not supposed to say anything about you (positive or negative) unless you name them as a reference.

That is not actually true - but many people believe it

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An employer may decide to establish a policy of not giving out anything other than dates of employment, but there is no law that prevents them from saying anything they want to say when called about an employee. It is entirely up to the company or, in some cases, the person who happens to take the call. If an employer makes unfavorable comments about a former employess, if they have documentation to back it up, the employee has no recourse Many companies choose only to verify dates of employment just to avoid any potential hassle if they were to give a bad reference, even when deserved, but there is no law that prevents them from doing it.

Please re-read "This is not actually true" and "Are they over 50." - Need to bury the silly notion that

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employers are not supposed to answer questions. Yes, clerks are often given instructions limiting what they are allowed to tell, but that is a company policy, NOT a state or federal law, and policies vary not only from company to company but from employee to employee. Director of HR, for instance, or the company owner, will make his or her own decisions about this.

When I ran a small structural engineering company (for the engineer owner), we fired an engineer who falsified time sheets after I told him not to; but what really offended me was when I found that he, instead of arguing for additional shear tolerances he believed some systems should have, and perhaps becoming a better engineer in the process, was just signing off on the drawings and then slipping little CYA-wannabe notes into the files. What a dope. I had documentation of all this and told people who called scrupulously in what ways we felt he had been a good employee AND specifically why he was fired.

My references (good ones!) have told me that they - have NEVER been contacted by anyone.

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So I tend to think they only call former supervisors, not references. Next time I may just list the HR Dept. as my "supervisor", and see how that flies.

illegal - peeved

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Its illegal for them to say anything negative only can say if you are eligible for rehire and time of employment.

Maybe, but... - Bindi

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I think most large and mid-sized MTSOs are too disorganized to do so. I think any HR (hospital or elsewhere) has so many things going on that they don't have time to make a concerted effort to keep up a black list. Also, keep in mind that if there is a large turn-over of staff in these HR departments that it will be harder than ever to keep up a black list if one does, indeed, exist.

As far as smaller MTSOs, all you need is one owner with a grudge.

I do, however, believe it is entirely possible that one person, such as a supervisor, can poison things for you. That's happened to me.

I like what the other poster did. She had her husband call in pretending to get a reference. At least that way you know what's being said.

MTSO management always seems to have the time - to lurk on this board, and from - SM

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my own past experiences, many management people didn't seem to have enough to keep them busy with real work, so they spent their time harrassing, nitpicking and micromanaging. Not to mention coming in late, taking 2 hour lunches (aka "naps") and leaving early. Far too many of them seem to be petty, vindictive women with chips on their shoulders and a power fetish.

With all the ridiculous scrutiny we MTs face when applying for a job these days (remember how easy it USED to be to get a job in this field?), I'm convinced that they do, indeed call former employers. However, I don't think they bother calling our good references, unless they're actually thinking about hiring us, and want to justify that decision.

Agency: $75 for 4 fake reference calls.Â Ex-boss busted! - NoRegrets

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Four years ago friends/coworkers informed me that an ex-employer was talking cr@p about me a couple of months after I left. Â Everyone knows she's a pathological liar; however, she could have really damaged my career if anyone who didn't know about her ever believed a word she said.

She was so bitter that at a FL convention she got drunk and actually told my new Â MTSO that I had "started a fire at the office." ....an absolutely ludicrous accusation, slanderous, and this "story" was witnessed being told by 2 supervisors. Â My attorney referred me to an agency which charges $75 for 4 separate reference calls to ex-employers suspected of giving false, negative references. Â They switch up the gender of the callers, and after recording 3 libelous, false, extremely negative references, during which she offered up way more info than inquiry warranted, the agency referred me back to my attorney with the proof I needed to file suit.

I settled the case for cash, but would have traded 1/2 the payoff for just one chance to have seen the ex-employer's face when she was presented with the the recordings of her false rants.

Anyone who wants the name of the calling agency can contact me by email. Â It was WAY worth the $75.Â

And the ex-employer is still out there, stalking this board. Â

HAHA that is fantastic. So glad you stopped her. - anon

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Great info, thanks for sharing.

I've posted the agency name a few comments down - Good Luck, All - NoRegrets

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Allison & Taylor

Further info a few comments down. :)

my experience - just me

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I kept applying for every MT position posted by the large hospital system in my state. I think I applied for a dozen positions before I got a call for an interview. I am on good terms with my previous supervisors (and they were my references on my resume, and they have both told me that they have never been contacted as a reference for me. But that's just my experience.

Valuable input tho. All decent positions seem to get - flooded with applicants these days. NM

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x

I don't think it's necessarily the MTSOs, although that happens too - sm

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Some of the time it's word of mouth from supervisors or MTs who worked with the applicant. Word tends to get around if someone doesn't show up when they are scheduled, takes too many emergency days off, cherry-picks, or something else that makes co-workers angry.

That probably isn't the case with you, but it happens. Most MTSOs have been around the block a few times. They know that a previous employer is likely to not be very happy at someone who left or wants to leave. I doubt that any MTSO is going to take the word of a previous employer unless they are good friends. In that case, there probably will never be positive recommendations from one to the other, would they?

Not sure if MTSOs even check refs. - anon

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My referrences have never been called by the big MTSOs, at least according to the one's I have asked.

I did have a smaller MTSO specifically tell me a few years ago she would not hire me because of a bad report from an ex-employer (my supervisor had hired her sister, who had a different last name, and gave her a day shift and they both cherry picked, I complained and she HATED me, since she ended up getting demoted and her sister had to quit-this was an in-house hospital job). Long story short, she ended up back in the supervisory job and blackballed me every shot she got.

I have one former boss, however, that absolutely LOVED me and so he sort of balanced out the crazy lady.

I agree with another poster though, there are a LOT of very skilled MTs out there and they ALL apply for the same good jobs. I suspect this is the real reason most don't even get a call for an interview. The good MTSOs are getting shoved out of the market and so have limited openings.

You will note you will get hired at Nuance and MModal the same day you test.

Yes I do. I have said the same before and was - sm

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ridiculed for saying such a thing. It gets me because I have done nothing against any company and yet I still have a hard time getting a job with all my years of experience.

I so wish they did..... - just me

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Would save me the grief and huge expense....

Name of Reference Agency-Employee Protection - NoRegrets

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I'm sorry I didn't post it sooner. There is no reason to hide this resource; actually, we should all be privvy to this information.

The company whose services I employed to contact an unscrupulous, sociopathic ex-employer was Allison & Taylor. Their affiliate page is jobreferences dot com, where you can find prices and descriptions of services. They are very discreet and efficient.

The price has risen over the 5 years since I needed their service (now $79), but it's still a small price to pay for peace of mind, and possibly solid proof for litigation.

If you are turned down time after time for jobs you know you are well-qualified, and you think you're getting bad references from an ex-employer, you probably are. Read the FAQ's and info on jobreferences dot com ... there is opportunity for a LOT of bad info to be related via telephone by a shameless ex-employer, and we should be armed against this practice.

By the way, I am in no way affiliated with the company listed above. They were a huge help to me when I needed it, 5 years ago.

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