Reference checks: All that you need to know

A RECENT court case has cast a spotlight on the mysterious reference check that people are aware of but don't know much about.

In a fight reminiscent of David and Goliath, an insurance agent took his former employer, corporate giant AXA, to court after a bad reference dashed his hopes of joining a new company - and won.

Despite evidence that Ramesh Krishnan was one of AXA's best-compensated financial services advisers and earlier persuaded not to resign, the company wrote a questionable reference on his performance that led to Prudential's decision not to hire him. It also slammed shut many doors in the industry to him.