Scenario: You're an excellent employee at your job. You consistently receive praise for your work from outsiders and have been considered an invaluable asset to the company. From time to time you inform (qualified) friends of job openings, and give permission to use your name as a reference on their applications.

How would you react if someone you only knew in passing (like a friend of a roommate that you only say hello to because he's standing in your kitchen) applied using your name as a reference without notifying you, and your boss asks your opinion about him because he's already been interviewed SOLELY because of your name and is about to be offered the job?

This just happened to my friend and he was HOT. And so was I, for that matter, because I used him as a reference a month ago for a different position and didn't even get a phone call LOL! He didn't throw salt in the game, but made it clear that there was someone else he would have referred first, and he doesn't know that person that well to speak on his qualifications.

It is always poor taste to use a person as a reference without saying something.

I'd be tight and would prob. recommend to my boss NOT to give him the job. Normally, even if I don't know you that well....I'd help you out but you didn't even have the decency to tell me? You can forget it.

One should never drop a personal reference without a heads up to that person. For one thing it could backfire.

If I was told by my boss that someone I barely knew put me down as a reference, I would spill the facts as they were and say that I don't really know that person and knew nothing about them putting my name on their application. The boss would probably consider this negatively.

I would not like it at all. Sounds to me like it was a stunt to catch the friend off-guard and put him on the spot without having time to assess the reference. Should always ask, because if it's someone who isn't "referrable" then it'd be best to decline then have it backfire.

No. Unless we're close or you have ASKED me to be a reference, you can't just arbitrarily list me without my prior knowledge. I would be 100% truthful if my boss asked me what I knew about this person and it wouldn't be an endorsement. How hard was it for this person to ask ahead of time. If they had done that, I would have casually complied, but don't be sneaky.

I would be very frank when the employer asked me about this person; admitting that I didn't know them very well and that I didn't authorize them to use me as a reference. I agree with Cat; all someone would have to do is ask.

I would probably tell my boss the truth, namely that I didn't know the person well enough to give them a reference and then be sure to tell that person that they fucked up. I always double check.