Recruiting Help&Advice.....

[Tetchy]

DT_Xtremez_28: Hello all,


My son has just got to his last interview for the CIS trade, he is 18. After getting all this way and with a start date imminent, the AFCO crew have questioned a crappy reference he got from a previous employer when he was 16. He didnt finish his probationary period with the shop and left under a cloud. Basically his till was £10 short, and he was accused of stealing it. Nothing could be proven, he continued working for them for another month till his probation was up, then they finished him ! He also denied stealing I might add !

Now the it has come back to haunt him it would appear. After his last interview the staff have told him HQ will have to have the final say, so he has been sent home witout an answer after 9 months of waiting.

The thrust of this post is.......................


Is this one daft reference likely to stop him getting into the RAF ?


Apolgies if Im in the wrong forum, there doesnt appear to be a recruiting one (ED)



Thanks



Tetchy

 

[Plumber]

Try not to worry, I've heard loads of stories of people getting bad references prior to joining up, theres even been a couple posted somewhere on this site. If everything else is in order, I'm sure that the recruiters will simply overlook this reference as nothing more than an anomally, as you said he was only accussed not proven guilty. Best of luck to you both and I hope all goes well.

 

[The Masked Geek]

Try not to worry, I've heard loads of stories of people getting bad references prior to joining up, theres even been a couple posted somewhere on this site. If everything else is in order, I'm sure that the recruiters will simply overlook this reference as nothing more than an anomally, as you said he was only accussed not proven guilty. Best of luck to you both and I hope all goes well.

Then there's the people who join up from a court sentence of "go to jail or join the forces" and I know a few of them.

 

[Tetchy]

Thanks.........

Thanks.........

Cheers for the posts, still would like to hear what HQ base their decisions on, is there policy written on it or is it an officer discretionary type of review of my sons application.............../


thanks again



tetchy

 

[Twonston Pickle]

Masked,

Contrary to popular myth, people cannot join the RAF with an unspent conviction just issued by the magistrates; they do not have the power to offer the said alternative to an accused!!!

Tetchy,

Being in the recruiting world myself, I can only tell you the following. The decision is not discretionary but is based on a number of criteria, including but not limited to:

The nature of the alleged incident and the outcome of the employment/police invovlement.

Whether this is a one-off or is a pattern of behaviour demonstrated by several references.

Whether the questions asked in the original interview and application forms were answered truthfully or whether there may have been some attempt to mislead the AFCO.

I am not saying that your son has done any of the above but they are considerations when looking at this type of reference. The AFCO will advise on the route to take if you disagree with the outcome and wish to complain.

Regards,

TP

 

[The Masked Geek]

Masked,

Contrary to popular myth, people cannot join the RAF with an unspent conviction just issued by the magistrates; they do not have the power to offer the said alternative to an accused!!!

Try explaining that one to my mate then.......Mind you, he may have just been suggesting it as an alternative to appearing in front of him again; thus offering an alternative to prison.

Either way, he went to court, and still ended up in the RAF so a reference stating "suspected of stealing £10 but not proven" may not do him any harm.

 

[Twonston Pickle]

Masked,

Off Topic I don't want to air policy on here but trust me when I say that we apply the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act to candidates applying to get in. Some offences are not considered as serious as others and we may be able to seek permission to process them. However, I still stand by the statement that no court can order a person to do military service as an alternative to a custodial sentence; all new entrants go through selection. I think you are referring to Bad Lads Army!

Tetchy,

Please do not worry about the above as it does not apply in this case; there is no conviction invovled. If your son is re-interviewed, the best thing is to be completely honest and rely upon the other references he has provided. If you feel there is more information that might help me provide a better answer then please PM me.

 

[The Masked Geek]

Masked,

Off Topic I don't want to air policy on here but trust me when I say that we apply the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act to candidates applying to get in. Some offences are not considered as serious as others and we may be able to seek permission to process them. However, I still stand by the statement that no court can order a person to do military service as an alternative to a custodial sentence; all new entrants go through selection. I think you are referring to Bad Lads Army!

I'll quote myself: "Mind you, he may have just been suggesting it as an alternative to appearing in front of him again; thus offering an alternative to prison. "

In other words, if I see you here again son, you're going down.
Why don't you join the forces and save us all a load of bother...

This was 12 years ago and I'm not disagreeing with you so stand down from your high horse.

 

[Twonston Pickle]

Masked,

I am not particularly tall so I'm getting off my pony. However, it's difficult to criticise my response when this thread is clearly about current recruiting and you provided scant information and no date reference.

 

[The Masked Geek]

Masked,

I am not particularly tall so I'm getting off my pony. However, it's difficult to criticise my response when this thread is clearly about current recruiting and you provided scant information and no date reference.

Fair point. <Climbs off own horse>

 

[zipfish]

I think the info on the rehabilitation of offenders act and convicted criminals joining the RAF is a little off the point. This surely is about some ****** trying to ruin a young lads future by writing a stinging accusation in his reference. I have heard that this is illegal but I can't back this up, but certainly it is considered very very bad form.

Tetchy, if your son left his place of work after being accused of stealing a tenner, why would he write the manager down as a reference? Surely there was someone better.

Also, I think you should name and shame the company/person that wrote the ****ty reference.

 

[Tetchy]

tetchy...............replies

tetchy...............replies

hello All


I hear what is said, and I too think it very unlikley the supermarket concerned, would poison the reference. My son was in his probation, the incident happened and they did not accuse him of theft. he continued for some time still in his probation post event, then when he approached his probation end they binned him. Stating they no longer wanted him, no theft mentioned etc.

So we shall see, we have been told a couple of days and we should get an answer......................keep you posted thanks



tetchy

 

[Tetchy]

The conclusion................

The conclusion................

We got a letter 2 days ago, the RAF will noy be offering my son a job, it also pointed out they did noy have to give a reason..............


So here we are after 9 months of "This trade has closed" to and his date being moved back on 3 occassions, he falls on his sword of honesty as I still do not understand why he included that reference anyway!

The RAF have had the information since he started all of this, he passed the vetting agency 3 months ago. The reference is now approaching 3 years old, and in my view is a complete pile of sh1t, it has no credability no substance, and is based on 3 months of work by my son in 2004. So here he is after spending the last 12 months hanging about waiting in the bin.

He intends to go back to college, and given his 13 gcse and 2 As levels he can start on a hnc/d course in accountancy. Bit of a change in direction.

sadly it is the RAFs loss not to employ my son, I would like to thank the forum contributors for their help and interest on this forum...............


Thank You Again.




Tetchy

 

[vim_fuego]

I read this last post with sadness...Our recruiting system holds bug-bears for many of us...people who were ill advised and entered at a lower level or inferior trade are the most common...general lack of knowledge or rationing of the truth would be a another common opinion (opinion, not hard fact).

It really is a shame, during these times when recruiting is falling off, that we turn our backs on an obviously well qualified and motivated young chap and do not even give you the satisfaction of a explanation...

If your son does not know why we won't recruit him how is he supposed to up his game/put things right? Push for a reason...research the highest ranking person in the recruiting world you can and, with the same forthright honesty you have displayed in your posts, get him to fill in the blanks...

Best Wishes Vim...

 

[Plumber]

Sorry to hear this news, I totally agree with Vim's advice pursue it up the chain and try to get a reason.

 

[enginesuck]

Sad indeed especially considering some of the complete ****wits that we see on a regular basis turning up on units with obvious unsuitability for service life, often these youngsters have taken many months even years of backcoursing on their basic and trade training.

If its any consolation maybe he could consider the Navy being the lesser of two evils of the remaining forces??DT_Xtremez_26: