PhillN01

I'm at the stage where i need to get all my previous employers to sign a letter confirming that i worked for them and that i did what i said i did. Electrician. Most of these are large companies that had satellite offices from which i worked, these offices are now closed and HR/ Personnel are now located several hundred miles from where i live. Anyway because nobody there knows me personally or can verify that as an electrician i used screwdrivers spanners etc they will only give me a standard job ref, stating dates i worked there etc. anyone else had a similar problem and if so how did you get around it.

bjbrian

This is the same kind of problem that most people get. In similar circumstances I got the 'standard' reference from the employer but in the process of asking gave them as much additional information as I had so they did use a little bit of this to pad out their note (they were not willing to take my draft).
In addition I did a statutory declaration with all the info, and in one case managed to get a declaration from somebody I worked with at the time.

If this is enough I don't yet know (see time-line below). The TRA seem to be very demanding.

Good luck,


Brian.

ShellnTez

we've had a problem with one of my partner's previous employers, to cut the scenario short, he left nearly 3 years ago and left on good terms, so when he went back to ask for an in depth ref for tra we didn't think we'd have a problem, but his boss said, he'd messed up on an engine job (he's a mechanic) and he's just had to pay the client compensation, which i think is a load of bull, as they are insured against things like that and the way the mistake was explained to him, he said its impossible to make such a mistake. we have a ref from when he left the company but its just a simple one stating dates etc, I'm just going to send it, we have very in depth refs from all his other employers, don't know what else we can do.

JAR123

Do you have to obtain a reference from your existing employer to apply for TRA ?
Sorry if silly question as new to this?

PhillN01

I thought i would have to but my agent says no (i think he works for Del Monte). I'm a bit confused to this my self. My agent thinks I'm over qualified so is trying to dumb down my work experience. i need to get in as a general sparky 60 points but I'm over skilled so i get in with 40 points.



Confucius he say b*ll*cks lets get p!ssed

ShellnTez

I don't think you need a ref from your current employer, but if you can get one it would be better. you can apply for tra without having to be in the job. we've got one from the garage terry works at now and they've been better and easier to get one of than the rest of them. we told them that the application process takes ages and that we wanted to get the ball rolling, they said they'd provide us with anything we need.
shellx

68MEVY

Hi Phil, I'm a hairdresser but also had trouble getting refs from former employers.
1. Employer dead, died suddenly, never got a ref.
This employer passed the business on to her grandson.
2. Went traveling, no way of contacting him, got a very basic ref before he went.
The salon was then leased by someone else.
3.Got a basic reference again as I left after having a baby. The salon has since closed down, she's moved house and I don't have her tel number.
4. My current boss, I didn't want him knowing anything about it so asked for him not to be contacted.

With my 3rd employer I managed to get a statement from a girl I worked with confirming what I said about my first 3 employers. I then went to a solicitors and got a stat dec drawn up. It cost about £25 for the stat dec and £7 for the signature but it was worth it as my TRA came back positive and no additional info was required.
Marie

JAR123

Excuse my ignorance what is a stat dec and what is its purpose?

68MEVY

A stat dec is short for statutory declaration.
It is something drawn up by a solicitor stating something is correct.
In my case it said something like:
-Maries first employer Mrs ????????? is now deceased.
-Maries second employer is not contactable as he has gone travelling and has left no contact information.

etc...etc...

You have to swear on the bible that all the info is correct and you must sign it infront of a solicitor.
It is possible to write one yourself but you'd have to get hold of all the legal stuff that has to be written on it.
If I can dig mine out I'll scan it and PM you the outline but it won't be until tomorrow as my hubby has bought some new stuff for the PC so he's going to spend the night building one for us and one to sell.

Marie

PhillN01

I spotted this on another post im going to send it of to my employers with my request for the reference along with a copy off the asco codes and my typed TRA ref letter. And then they can still only say NO

I must acknowledge Luckcountry for this post...

Requirements for employment references

Employment references supplied to skills assessing authorities (such as Trades Recognition Australia) and DIMIA must follow strict guidelines or they will not be accepted.

Many employers provide references that are not satisfactory and this leads to the application for a skills assessment or visas being rejected.

Set out below is a guide to what should be included in an employment reference:

The reference must be on the official letterhead of the employer;
The letterhead should give the address of the company and telephone, fax and email contact details;
The name and position of the person who signs the reference must be typed below the signature;
The direct contact telephone number for the person writing the reference should be given;
The reference should state;
The date the employee commenced employment
The date the employee ceased employment
Whether the employment was permanent or temporary
Whether the employment was full-time or part-time
If there were any periods of part-time employment, details must be given of the weekly hours worked and of any variations in hours worked
The position that the employee held should not be described by a generic title (e.g. research officer, public servant) but according to the nature of the duties undertaken (eg research chemist, accounts clerk)
At least five of the main duties undertaken should be listed in accordance with the description of the position in the ASCO Dictionary.
The annual salary earned should be given.
An official duty statement for the position should be included.
An organizational chart showing how the position fits into the structure of the company should be included.
A recent payslip from the current employer should be included.