Anonymous
Context: I worked in a small private engineering firm for 3+ years. Throughout my service, I did everything with perfection, even helped other departments beyond my scope, upon the owner's requests. Owing to unprofessional behavior, I resigned citing personal reasons. The owner didn't want to let me go, convinced me a lot, but since I rejected his "future appraisal," he didn't take it well. I was harassed by passive-aggressive behavior throughout the notice period, and in the end, he wrote a terribly formatted experience certificate.

Note: Nothing wrong is written in it. Dates and designation are accurate. But it is written in extremely small letters, with no punctuation, no capital letters, or even a full stop. It was clearly intentional since he used to be obsessed with the formatting of documents.

Questions:
1. Does this letter's format create a bad image in the mind of any recruiter, employer, or HR?
2. Does it convey that I worked in a company so insignificant, which can't even write properly?

Thanks in advance for your kind opinions.

From India, Ahmedabad
Acknowledge(0)
Amend(0)

Hi,

1. Yes, there are probabilities. HR might doubt the genuineness of the document. A prospective employer might carry out a background verification (BGV) process as well. In such a scenario, the feedback from your ex-employer might not be positive (this is my assessment based on your narration).

2. Yes, the quality of the experience letter also matters. As long as it contains the correct dates and designation, I don't think there is anything to worry about. It ultimately depends on how the future employer perceives it.

From India, Madras
Acknowledge(0)
Amend(0)

Anonymous
Thank you for the help.

Interestingly, there was a background verification (physical), and I seem to have passed it. But the thing still bothers me. What is the remedy? The person is so hellbent on harassing ex-employees; he even spies on them, tries to contact their current employers, etc. It seems like something that will bother me forever. It has started to affect my mental health since it's in my head 24 x 7.

From India, Ahmedabad
Acknowledge(0)
Amend(0)

Hi,

If you had cleared the BGV, why bother much about this? Ignore such issues and join your new employer's office. I don't see any remedy for this.

Employers, especially those with monopoly power, may hold grudges for some time, but over a period, their perceptions might change.

From India, Madras
Acknowledge(0)
Amend(0)

Ah! Forgive my overthinking nature. It's just that this might bother me in the future. I don't want to miss out on good opportunities much later for something irrelevant from the past.

But your response really gives some relief. Thank you.

From India, Ahmedabad
Acknowledge(0)
Amend(0)

This is literally my current situation. I joined as a non-IT undergraduate, overworked like a slave, often even on weekends, day or night. I took on all the extra burdens and responsibilities that were rejected by even all seniors. Thanks to my extremely low self-esteem that always resisted me from saying NO, yet I received a miserable treatment and negative reviews solely to get more out of me with little to no wages. It was during the lockdown in 2019. I was politely fooled many times; the entire management was like sweet poison. Leaving was not an easy task. I really had to lie, yet they didn't allow me to leave and extended my notice period because they couldn't find any replacement. They kept leaving one after the other (the same thing happened to many other ex-employers, too, the innocent hardworking ones). But until I got to know about all this, it was too late.

I worked there for two years, joined 6 months before the lockdown. They didn't give us confirmation letters until the lockdown ended, and also very little salary was given. I worked night shifts and partial day shifts due to not having a personal system but a shared one at home.

At the time of relieving, the documents were given after the last day, even the resignation acceptance was given at the last minute after serving my extended notice period. On the documents, THEY EXTENDED my internship from 6 to 12 months, reducing experience count from 1.5 to 1 year. Moreover, the letter had only one sentence written below:

"This is to certify that Ms. XYZ with ID 123 has worked with ABC as per: (altered dates) and designation. His/her final settlement of accounts/payments has been settled, and the company holds no liabilities towards her."

That's it. Not even a word of appreciation at all. I formally put in my papers without burning the bridges, politely lied to keep their egos satisfied in order to get an easy release, yet things were extremely delayed from their end. I basically needed time to study for my higher education, which wasn't possible while working with them at all. So, I lied to get a new job and insisted on a timely release after the notice period as the new employer wouldn't wait any longer. They kept calling and made me do their work even months and years after, calling from different contacts. In the end, I had to block them all.

I was so happy to have gotten out of that place that I didn't notice this earlier. But now, as I'm almost done with my MCA and going to start applying soon, I see how I had been played in the past and how it will reflect on the future. Though I've gained a lot of confidence during these years, such things might indeed create a bad image with a new employer. The only thing I worry about is salary. I really don't want to waste my time again working as cheap labor. Even getting a 300% hike won't be good enough. I work for a 10,000 in-hand salary. (crying emoji)

From India, Delhi
Acknowledge(0)
Amend(0)

Engage with peers to discuss and resolve work and business challenges collaboratively. Our AI-powered platform, features real-time fact-checking, peer reviews, and an extensive historical knowledge base. - Register and Log In.





Contact Us Privacy Policy Disclaimer Terms Of Service

All rights reserved @ 2025 CiteHR ®

All Copyright And Trademarks in Posts Held By Respective Owners.