References are important for those leaving a company because you want to get a good one so that you can get another job. A lot of employees in New Jersey are concerned that their prior company is bad-mouthing them by giving out bad references. This usually is a concern that is totally unfounded. Most companies now understand that the less information they gave out, the fewer lawsuits they have and as a result, most employers give out date of hire, date of termination or separation, and the last position that an individual held because they know that giving out more information than that puts them at risk of a lawsuit. Now, there are occasions when a company might not understand that that’s the more prudent way to do it, but you need to have some kind of proof that this is actually happening, like somebody posing as a potential employer calling up and looking for a reference and seeing what’s said. Short of that, it’s usually a concern that really isn’t worth having.