Should you check YES or NO if an application askes if they may contact your current employer?

Answer 1

Answer

You can give permission to contact your present employer only if an offer is made. Advise employer you will not permit prior to an offer being made, but certainly afterwards. This protects you either way.

Answer

I'd say it depends on your situation. If you're working part-time while hunting for a full time "real" job, your current employer should be (obviously) aware that you NEED a full time job and should be nice enough to give you the reference. And always tell your current employer (if you're part time) that you intned to keep the PT job whether you intend to or not. But be courteous, always give two week's notice lest you be damned to hell for all eternity and lose that potentially good reference.

All depends on your relation with the current employer , if you go out to get pissed couple times a week with him, then let your potential employer contact him.

Answer 2

Let's turn this around and say that you are the prospective employer. Would you want to know more about the prospective employee from his former employer(s). Wouldn't you like to know what kind of person you will be hiring? If the person you are thinking about hiring doesn't want you to contact former employers, would you think he has something to hide? Bottom line: after considering all of this, would you hire a person at point blank, no questions asked?

...what if you are currently employed and you don't want your employer to find out you are looking for something else???

You completely missed the question, "Can a prospective employer contact your present employer without your consent?" Get it? present employer and it is not illegal, but it is a legal liability on the prospective companies part as a lawsuit can come about if the job seeker's current position results in terminate or damaged work environment.

If someone knows you are gainfully employed they owe you a duty of care in their dealings with you.

Until a person accepts a job offer, there is a fiduciary responsibility to keep these meetings confidential (unless of course permission is given to the contrary).

By violating his/her trust and his/her privacy, that would show a lack a concern for his/her well being. That is negligence. You need trust in any successful relationship.

If he/she lost their job or promotin as result of this breach, they could sue and win. Why? A contract of privacy does not have to be in writing, it can be verbal. And in this case, it is implied by the nature of the communication and would be expected by any reasonable and prudent person.

If you negligently cause someone to lose their job (whether or not intentionally) by violating a confidence, that is a compensable matter. You cannot put some one in a lessor position than you found them without consequences.

Answer 3

Check "yes" if you don't mind if they call your current employer. Most places call just to verify that you are, in fact, employed by the place that you provided on the application.

Answer 4

Yes, it shows that you're interested in the job...