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Just say that you donāt know them well and canāt speak to their work. Never bad mouth someone, it will never help you or them. Donāt make an enemy if you donāt have to.
Fair point; I suppose if he's truly terrible the manager will see it themselves
Pro
If you haven't worked with them, just say you haven't and say that as a result of having never worked with him, you can't give a reference. I have refused to give references to people I haven't worked with, and it's never come back.
Say something nice but also express your reticence in a tactful way. The manager will appreciate that. This guy sounds like a bad apple who doesn't need to be rewarded for his bad behavior.
Thanks for this. Could you maybe provide an example?
Pro
Don't give a reference, use the "haven't worked with him out". Any competent manager can read that. You give a good reference and he's a jerk it's on you. Give a bad reference and he matured you look bad.
āThanks for reaching out! Yes, Dan and I went to college together but that was a few years ago and Iām not sure what heās been working on recently. Wish I could be of more assistanceā and end scene. A non answer is an answer. Depending on how important the project/role is, the manager will either pick up the phone and poke at what you didnāt want to put in writing or theyāll go with someone that people can vouch for.
Sure thing. Good luck and donāt stress too much!
Something similar happened to me. Got a request for a reference out of the blue from a friend who I actually never worked with. We worked in the same organization but not together. Compounded by the fact that I think she is a liabilityāshe has a substance abuse issue. She asked me to blatantly lie and say that I had worked with her, and about work that she hadnāt actually done. I responded to the reference honestly with what I knew about her. I didnāt go out of my way to say anything negative.
keeping personal stuff aside...if he is good at work ...give positive feedback....if he is really unprofessional or inefficient alert them honestly....