Job interview

Hi i just want to get some feed back i went for a job interview today for a position for just a few hours a week and in the interview was going really well they were positive and everything then came a curve ball. I'll have to give you a bit of history so bare with me.

Three years ago i ended up taking my employer to court for them wrongly accussing me of having mental health issues and them saying that i was not professional and i u=was unfit to work well i won the case for all they tried to say i was. at the stage i only had postnatal depression and i had no complants about my work. Well i got my ex employer to fill in a refernce for me, when i went to the interview today they said your old emplyor said you had medical issues that effected your work it took me a back so i was honest and said i had postnatal depression. unfortunatley since i left after proving i was fit to do the job i was dignosed with bipolar not that i have told them that, i still have to have contact as i have to drop my child to the centre each day. I just blown way.
Sorry rambling im really hurt that this person used information that she had after i had stopped employment for them and the reference was for when i was working, I know it will seem pretty over the top but im hurt and childhood is a small community and if she is will to say this my career could be over, Please believe i would not enter back into work if i was a danger to other and im sure my children would of been taken off me if i was. i just want to ARRRR.

Sorry i dont know if you understand this or have any words of widsom but i just angry that she but false information on a reference about my time in her employment and i have court papers to prove it, but i cant ask as it may seem to be blowing it out of proportion.

Hi mumtothree.

That is really unfair. I have recently resigned from my job due to mental illness and I was also concerned about what they would say if I used them as a future reference. When I asked my boss about it he was so supportive and said that it would be discrimnatory to speak of my illness when giving a reference to future possible employers - just as much as would be mentioning anything a bout race, sex, ethnicity etc. I think that you should check out what your rights are because it is highly possible that they have seriously breached your confidentiality. It makes me so angry! It is so much pressure making the choice to put your health and wellbeing before your employment and one of the biggest fears I had was this very thing happening, which has happened to you. Check out your rights hun and if they're in the wrong make sure something is done about it and I'm sure you'll have the support of this community. If they had asked whether you had any medical conditions, i.e diabetes, asthma etc - would they be allowed to just hand that information out willy nilly? I think not.

I've got your back hun. Well done for asking for advice and I wish you all the best with the job. xx

Journey

What a difficult position to be put in. Did you have to use your old employer as a referee? as soon as I read that I thought uh oh, youve taken them to court, they probably arent going to be too nicely inclined toward what they say about you. But, I dont know that theyre allowed to do what they have. Id be really upset too. Definitely check it out, maybe with the Manawatu Community Law Centre - theyre free. Oh man, I feel for you, that must of been gutwrenching!

Hi thanks for your advice yes i had to use them as they were my last employers, it has turned out well I got the job anyway and today i went and talk to the person who i did the reference and i trust her she said that it asked why i left and she thought i had left due to medical reasons so i put her straight about taken the other boss to court and the trust being broken and it was sorted she said that she wouldnt do that again so all worked out well and i got the job.

Congratulations on the job Mum. Well done!!!!!

Im agree with Journey above but I guess none of that matters now lol

I hope it all works out wonderfully for you at your new job!

Hey - well done as well.

As regards fitness to work I had to prove that I was not a danger to people as well when I returned and my doctor sent me to see a psychiatrist who interviewed me and agreed that i was ok to work - she said that she would confirm this on my behalf if necessary and this backed up my doctors opinion.


Good on you for being honest with your new employer as well about the depression, if it is out in the open you won't be worrying about it coming at a later date and the less stress at work the better I say :-)

peter