Struggling Without a Relieving Letter After Termination: How Can I Move Forward?

Dear All,

Thank you in advance for reading this thread. I am a newbie here, and I'm unsure if anyone else has faced a similar situation. My name is Ramesh, and I am 28 years old. I used to work for a BPO company until I was terminated on June 15, 2008, due to disciplinary issues. I had been with the company for almost two years. The reason for my termination was that I used another person's login to access a website. During the inquiry meeting held by management, I admitted to using the other person's login and provided an apology letter. Consequently, I was issued a show cause notice and terminated on June 15, 2008. The company provided me with a great working environment and facilities, which I tarnished due to my undisciplined behavior. The issue now is that they have not given me a relieving letter. When I tried to contact the HR department, they stated that they would not issue a relieving letter as I was terminated. I acknowledge my mistake, and I understand the importance of a relieving order. Despite not being a fresher due to my age, I have struggled for five months to secure a job but have been unsuccessful as I lack a relieving order. My family is facing deep financial crisis, and I aim to join a reputable MNC for better pay. However, these companies require a relieving letter, which I do not possess. Even if I manage to secure a position, they will seek references from my previous employer. As HR professionals, what would be your suggestion? I am regretful of my actions and have contemplated ending my life, but I refrain from such thoughts as they are baseless. I am disheartened as my peers are all well-settled in high-paying jobs, unlike me. Please assist me in finding a solution.

Yours sincerely,

Ramesh

Dear Ramesh,

First of all, "Stop Abusing yourself by saying 'Stupid,' 'Useless,' etc." Not everyone is a saint nor perfect in this world, nor are all criminals. It's good that you have accepted that "you made a mistake" and you do repent for it.

Using another person's login and visiting an inappropriate website was definitely not wise and was bad on your part. Don't get dejected now. The past is the past.

Remember one thing, for every problem, there is a definite solution. Since you now require a job and your family is in a financial crisis, you can make up for the past by either of the following:

1) Joining a company at present that doesn't require your relieving or experience certificate and work for them.
2) Try speaking personally to the concerned HR department personnel and convince them to obtain your experience certificate.
3) In case there is no relieving or experience certificate, you might have your payslips in your hand, isn't it? Then why don't you use that as proof for your next employment.
4) If you are going to try only in MNCs, they would definitely conduct a background verification, and you will be exposed. So, it's better to get into a small concern for now and prove yourself there.

Don't waste your time whining over the past. No one is perfect. It takes a great deal to accept your fault, and you have done your part by asking for pardon. Leave the rest to the Almighty.

Regards,
Arsha

Dear Ramesh,

You have made a mistake and are accepting it as well. It's never too late to change and rectify your mistakes. The best way to deal with this situation is to work on your skill set, get a good and decent job based on the same, show some proof of your employment like a payslip or something, and disclose the truth. I believe that if they are a really good company with a strong HR department, they will understand the truth just like we do in this forum.

Think about it, and do revert in case you still have any ambiguity about the same.

Regards,
Vyakhya :)

My suggestion to you would be to try to convince your HR Department that I committed a mistake, but I honestly and sincerely admitted it. In regard to honesty and truthfulness, my relieving letter should be given to me despite being sacked as a punishment for non-compliance with rules and regulations. Since you never cooked up stories or tried to defend yourself when wrong, or pass on the blame to others, but admitted your mistake, hence to reward your honesty, you should receive your relieving letter. Try to amicably arrive at a solution with them rather than getting frustrated.

Try to approach their seniors, request their help, and ask for assistance.

Ramesh,

Don't think that only that experience certificate will help you to get a job. Place your CV on job sites and show your appointment letter/offer letter and payslip from your ex-employer, if any, to the interviewer. If you have good skills, the employer will not consider your experience certificates as necessary as you think. Keep working hard.

Regards

Dear Ramesh,

Don't get frustrated. Finding a job is not difficult, but finding the job of your choice is slightly challenging. You may need to wait for a while, so it's up to you whether you want a quick job or prefer to wait. My suggestion is to consider any available job in HR consultancy, recruitment companies, outsourcing firms, or even mini call centers where reference checks may not be a significant factor.

Additionally, try to maintain a record of your email communications with HR regarding your experience certificate and relieving letter. Send a request email every 15 days, and consider copying other team leaders, business heads, VPs on subsequent emails. If this approach doesn't yield results, forward the entire chain of emails to the CEO/MD of the company for their awareness and necessary action.

Keep your morale high. All the best.

Parag

What I would suggest is to get into a small firm. They do not go for reference checks; they would just see your appointment letter, and you can show your salary slips. In the interview, prove your quality skills and demonstrate how good you would be for the organization. Things will then gradually settle down. In the meantime, try to follow up with your previous company's HR people for your experience letter.

I appreciate that you have accepted your fault and are rectifying it. Very few people have the courage to do so.

Cheers,
Suhrita

Hi Ramesh,

I am in total agreement with Arsha Mercy. Everybody makes a mistake, but only a few of them confess it, and you are one of them. Now start looking for small orgs too besides MNCs, where they do not need exp. certificates, reference checks, etc. Once you get a job, it will be easier to find a way to MNCs. Be optimistic. Have a good day.

Jyoti Negi

Arsha Mercy said:

Dear Ramesh,

First of all, "Stop Abusing yourself saying 'Stupid', 'Useless', etc.". Not everyone is a saint nor perfect in this world, nor are all criminals. It's good that you have accepted that "you made a mistake" and you do repent for it.

Using another person's login and visiting an inappropriate website was definitely unwise and bad on your part. Don't get dejected now. The past is the past.

Remember one thing, for every problem, there is a definite solution. Since you now require a job, and your family is in financial crisis, you can make up for the past by either of the following:

1) Joining a company at present that doesn't require your relieving or experience certificate and work for them.
2) Try speaking personally to the concerned HR department personnel and convince them to obtain your experience certificate.
3) In case there is no relieving or experience certificate, you might have your payslips in your hand, isn't it? Then why don't you use that as proof for your next employment.
4) If you are going to try only in MNCs, they would definitely conduct a background verification, and you will be exposed. So, it's better to get into a small concern for now and prove yourself there.

Don't waste your time whining over the past. No one is perfect. It takes a great deal to accept your fault, and you have done your part of asking for pardon. Leave the rest to Almighty.

Regards,

Arsha

Hi,

I am working on the "Organizational Chart" of my company. Could you please give me some useful tips and formats as mine is an "Automobile/Ancillary" Company?

Regards, Parul :)

Hi Ramesh,

I am Essa. To be honest, I didn't go through all the comments that are in your list. What I would suggest is: don't get nervous; opportunities will knock on your door every now and then. It's up to you how you welcome and grab them. I don't know which was your previous firm from where you were let go. Your case is not new to us, but the management of your previous firm seems like hell. Instead of terminating you, they should have issued you a verbal warning letter, stating that henceforth these things should not happen. Forget about what has happened; you are worried about your experience letter.

What you can do in this case is provide your appointment letter, offer letter, joining letter, six months of confirmation letters, and a year as well, along with all the salary slips you have until your last day in that company. If you don't have all the salary slips, it's not an issue; you can show them your last three or two months of salary slips. Don't worry. Go to any company you would like to join and inform them that you have all this proof from your previous organization.

Don't even think about the reference number; they won't check it because very few companies in the market conduct thorough verifications. Even if they find out, they won't dismiss you. At most, based on your performance, they might halt your growth.

Regards,

Mohammed Essa

Hi, Ramesh,

It is good to see how willing you are to accept your mistake. In today's world, these qualities are always welcomed by good, growing, and ethical companies. I fully agree with the suggestion of Jyoti Negi.

Now, in this situation, you should not run only behind MNC jobs. You can also try for some mid-size Indian companies because something is better than nothing. A job gap in your career can have some impact for a certain period, so try to get a new one as early as possible. Be practical and clear about your history during the interview with the new organization. All the other proofs as described above are good enough along with your verbal clarification.

Please don't hesitate for any profile, rank, organization, or package job at this time. Once you get one, you can continue to strive for better every time.

Regards,
Gaurav Arora

Dear Ramesh,

Don't use this kind of word. "Useless" No one is perfect. Don't worry, keep trying, and you will get a better job for your honesty. I will pray for your success.

Dear Ramesh,

It is a big thing that you have accepted your mistake and do repent on it. Nevertheless, what has happened has happened. Move on. As Arsha said, your salary slips are important. Have belief in yourself. This is only short term. Prove yourself in the meantime, upgrade your skills. Take caterpillar steps, and you will emerge into a colorful and vibrant butterfly. In the long run, a relieving letter won't make much difference. But don't repeat such indisciplinary actions again.

All the best.

I am taken aback by your actions. What exactly do you expect from your actions?

Moaning about how well your friends/colleagues are doing can be based on how you have behaved so far. Take off your 'woe is me' cap and accept the fact that your immature and unprofessional behavior is the cause of your lack of progress.

Now get off your seat and get a life. Hopefully, you have learned a valuable lesson.

Friends, it's very easy to be rude and say that it's a mistake, and you must have learned a valuable lesson. Tell me honestly, how many of us are always ethically correct in our actions? The theme of your people goes like this: be corrupt, but then it should not be caught by anybody.

Please give this approach a break, don't push your thoughts upon the weak. Ramesh, don't worry, don't feel guilty, otherwise, people will make you feel more guilty.

Hi,

Dear Ramesh, don't feel so bad. We do sometimes encounter this kind of situation due to urgency. Don't worry; my suggestion to you as an HR manager is to switch over to a smaller company for 6 months and be willing to compromise on salary expectations. During these 6 months, enhance your resume by adding your current profile and send it out to different parts of India. If you receive a good opportunity, consider working there. Stay away from your current location and current colleagues.

If people inquire about your previous details, inform them that you left without notice due to personal reasons, which is why they did not provide you with a certificate.

Goodbye,
Niha

Dear Mr. Ramesh,

Whatever you did, forget about it all. Think about it now and consider how to navigate this situation. The company has taken disciplinary action against you, leading to termination. They do not have the right to play with your life (as you may not secure a job without a relieving letter). Try to persuade the HR that this situation has caused significant distress, unemployment, and financial hardship. Request them to issue a relieving letter so you can seek opportunities elsewhere.

Be courageous!

Wishing you all the best,

Srinivas Karamcheti
09392470619

Hi,

Don't worry. Keep trying with more confidence. Take help from your friends. It's really okay to start from a small company level and prove yourself. Take it as a challenge and prove. :-P

Use your previous salary slip. That would help a lot.

Dear Mr. Ramesh,

From the HR's perspective, what he/she did was correct. No HR will give a relieving order to a person who has been terminated. However, HRs do issue experience certificates. You can try obtaining one from your HR. Kindly provide me with your company name. Let me see if I can assist you in any way.

Thanks,
Nirmala

Hi Ramesh,

What you are going through is something many others have experienced. There's no point in dwelling on the past. The bottom line is you have three options:

1) Get a job without needing the relieving letter.
2) Find a job where you can verify your previous employment through other means.
3) Attempt to obtain your relieving letter from your previous company.

Regarding option 1, you can apply for a job as a fresher. While you may miss out on experience, skills define a person and can help alleviate financial concerns.

For option 2, gather your appointment letter and recent salary slips to prove your employment. Be cautious, as new employers may not view the termination favorably during a background check.

In the case of option 3, communicate with senior managers at your previous company, admitting your mistake and expressing your desire to move on, necessitating the letter.

As for the other thoughts in your post, considering drastic actions is not the solution. There are always better ways to cope. Remember, choosing to accept defeat or not is entirely up to you; no one else can make that decision for you.

I hope this helps. Let me know if you need further guidance.

Dear seniors,

I am also in a situation like Ramesh. I am working in a good MNC as a Management Trainee. Somehow, I don't have good relations with my supervisor. He is always against me and never misses a chance to belittle me. Some days ago, I met with an accident, which caused me to be absent from work. I informed my supervisor about this properly. However, he complained to HR that I have been absent for many days without any prior information. Not only this, he himself marked "L" for Leave and then altered it to "T" for Travel, falsely claiming that I made the change. He has accused me of other things as well, for which I was asked to provide explanations. I have proven all his accusations wrong, but I have no way to prove that I did not tamper with the attendance register. Now, I feel helpless. Please help me come out of this situation. In the meantime, the supervisor has been demoted and transferred to another branch due to poor performance.

Thank you.

Well, we have faced a similar situation in my earlier organizations. We have looked at the gravity of the situation and acted accordingly. I assume they must have taken a written explanation from you, and you should have given a written apology. We took actions like debarring the person from accessing the internet, restricting the profile, affecting promotions, performance bonuses, etc. In extreme cases, where the person was asked to leave, we did give full settlement and an experience letter. I hope HR people from your previous company are also logged into the forum and will respond to your request. Even the law punishes for rectification of behavior, and six months is a long time for this. Please call or visit your previous office to sort out the problem.

Hi Ramesh,

Could you please let us know what package you are looking at? This will help us find a suitable job for you in a reputed BPO.

Hi,

Thanks a ton for all your views and suggestions. I didn't expect this kind of good response and kind treatment from all of you to a guy like me. As I said, I am 28 years old. Do you think I am still young enough to join a small company and then switch over from there? In the previous company, I was earning nearly 9,500 (per month), and I need at least 13k to 14k to manage my family a little better. Don't think I am expecting too much, as in your different industries, the package that freshers are getting is similar to what I have asked for.

I tried to contact my previous company's HR, but couldn't reach him on the phone. So, I tried to meet him in person, but he was out of station. I then wrote a letter and mailed it to his official email ID and am still waiting for his reply.

Regards,
Ramesh

Hi Dear,

I think you were confused and confusing others. First of all, don't bluff and use unpresidential words. You are saying you changed and regretting for your mistake. But seeing your message, nobody can believe because of your language abusive words in communication. Go for meditations and don't be frustrated.

If you are confident and your abilities are good, you can get a job (nobody can stop you from winning the game until you put a barrier in your mind that you don't get a job). After getting a new job, prove it and never make these mistakes again.

Regards,
Steven

Yeah, your concerns are all valid, but you should adhere to the company norms that were likely communicated to you at the beginning.

Hi,

First of all, I don't have to bluff; of course, I will not have. I am sorry, Mr. Steven, I don't understand what you have understood in my reply. I think you might have mistaken me in my reply.

Regards,
Ramesh

Hi,

First of all, I don't have to bluff; of course, I will not have to. I am sorry, Mr. Steven, I don't understand what you have understood in my reply. I think you might have mistaken me in my reply.

Regards,
Ramesh

Hello all,

I am currently pursuing an MBA in finance, and I have a couple of months left to complete my course. Right now, I am working on a project in HR at an aerospace company. I am curious to know if my specialization in finance will affect my job prospects in HR in the near future. What is the scope of me pursuing a career as an HR generalist in the service sector? To top it all off, I do not have any work experience in HR, although I worked in a BPO for a year. Since I am new to this site, having just joined the forum three days ago, I am trying to get acquainted with it and look forward to interacting with you all.

Please guide.

Regards,
Preethi