When ad agencies black ball former employees — how do they do it? What happens when a hiring company manager calls to confirm employment dates? Is there a code word for do not hire that person? Think Breakfast at Tiffany’s/Sally Tomato/the weather report

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I do think the concern over being blacklisted is mostly needless, unless you did something illegal/truly out of bounds. Also? Turnover is so high, institutional memory is basically zero.

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This almost happened to a freelancer for me at Publicis - offer was out then we were told the person was a “do not hire” at the last minute. RM ended up inquiring further and someone reversed the decision / said it was an error…after she came on to the team, I’m pretty sure it wasn’t an error- she was a grifter who was working multiple full time jobs and would disappear for long stretches.

Blacklisting only really works within a holding company or an individual agency. Holding companies do have systems in place but yeah I’d assume that after a few years it might not matter.

The bigger issue is the word of mouth. Ad world is a small world and people will talk.

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It depends on who you pissed off tbh. Depending on employment law where you live, they can’t say anything outright negative to someone who calls for a reference but they will say next to nothing which says everything.
I had a partner that pissed off a CCO with a lot of pull. They had to move across the country to find work at a marketing firm because agencies wouldn’t hire them.

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There’s a field in our HRIS that indicates whether someone is “eligible for rehire” and it’s rare for someone not to be. The times I’ve seen it is when someone is a legal risk (have had verified complaints against them or they made a legal claim in the past)

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Wouldn’t doing that due to a legal claim be retaliatory? I kind of assumed this was the case. I had a case in the past I could have pursued, but figured the payout wouldn’t be anything close to making it worth killing 25 years of my future earning potential.

In my experience, recruiters ask HR if they are eligble for rehire. Or the recruiter will ask the former managers if they would want the person back.

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It’s a tiny industry, so what you’re describing doesn’t happen via HR. They’ll usually call someone they know personally and get whatever uncensored version that person has.

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Don’t — I repeat, DO NOT — poop on anyone’s desk. People don’t actually find it funny. Learned that the hard way.

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Not sure actual black balling exists. But an agency calling a trusted friend for an opinion on a potential hire is very common. And the industry is small. So, if a prominent former employer has a negative opinion of you, it can have the same effect.

I think it’s more a word of mouth thing. This is a small industry—even smaller if you’re in a specific niche. Chances are you’re applying somewhere where someone you’ve working with in the past also works, if not multiple people. They will be asked about you, and if you burnt any bridges or had any issues, chances are this will be communicated to the hiring manager

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