Hi experts,
I just ended my first post-graduation big4 consulting job on a low note after having a bad first-year experience in the firm.
Now, to move on I interviewed with a competitor firm (tier-2 boutique) and received an offer conditional on 2 references from my past job.
When I reached out to my mentor at the big4 job, I was informed that the firm has no reference policy for competitor roles. That lead me to ask for one reference from the manager who had recently left but had worked with me on the last project ( and gave me a really tough time). Now I hear that the new firm is not going to countersign the offer because “professional reference by my ex-coworker was not sufficiently good"
Now, I need advice on how to deal with the situation:
- should I have a call with the partner to address pain points and as them to reconsider? If yes, how could I make them believe that the reason I am ending the job is primarily that the culture and it was not a good fit which also explains why that manager tried to ruin a reference?
- how do I deal with this situation going forward and apply for more jobs?