Junior colleague fired after failing probation asks senior coworker for reference: Reddit says ‘of course’

A post on Reddit’s r/jobs has talked about a senior team member who was involved in training a junior hire earlier this year. The junior colleague didn’t pass her six-month probation and was let go. Now the former colleague has reached out asking if they would serve as a reference for her job search, since asking the manager who fired her is obviously not a realistic option.

The original poster wants to help but is uncertain; they only worked with her on training, not on her broader performance, and they have never given a reference before.

In this matter, the thread’s response was notably consistent: do it, don’t overthink it.

One commenter broke down why the concern about scope is less significant than it feels: “You are a senior member and she was a junior member, so you are technically in charge of mentoring her and knew how she worked. Some senior people provide direct supervision even if they don’t do reviews of their juniors.” They also added how the former colleague worked there for only six months and likely has nobody else to turn to. “That means she really has no one else.”

Another kept it simple: “Of course you should do it. You’d want someone to do it for you. Always side with the worker over the corporation. This shouldn’t even be a question.”

A third addressed what giving a reference actually involves: “If the person wasn’t terrible, and you were cool with them, you tell the truth: they were decent to work with and did a decent job. I don’t know why people overthink this.”

One commenter added context about where references typically land in the hiring process: “Usually when they get to the reference stage it’s because they are a top contender for that role.” This means that their word can likely help their former colleague out.

In a job market where candidates are struggling to get callbacks and references matter, saying yes to this request costs the original poster almost nothing and could meaningfully help someone who is starting a difficult search with very few options.

Read also: 'Don't ever work after you've clocked out': Reddit's unanimous advice to a 19-year-old deli clerk