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How important are past employer referrals when applying for jobs?

I have been working for the same company for 4 years now and am considering searching for a new job. I left my last job on bad terms and know they would answer no to the question of whether they would hire me again. I can get a letter of recommendation from my current employer, but wondering how much the past employer can affect my chances for finding a new job. Anyone have any thoughts on this? I know that past employers aren't allowed to give specifics about your job performance, but they can answer the question of whether or not they would rehire you.

Public Comments

1. The good reference form the current employer should out weigh the bad. Considering it was 4 years ago, they may not even call for a reference.
2. A lot of employers look for referrals because they want to know what type of person you are in the business world. The referrals does not have to be your direct manager. It can be a coworker that knows what you do at work. This is how I got my current job. I hated my boss, so I lied to him. I told him that I was quitting because I wanted to go back to school. Anyways, I got referrals from my coworkers and it worked.
3. Well, if you get a good ref from your current employer, and you've been there 4 years, the old employers comments won't carry much weight anyway. Everyone's got a job in their past where they didn't fit. If you fit fine in this current job, and the one's before the previous one, you should be fine
4. It's good that you've been on your current job for four years, that there says alot about you. And the fact that they will give you a letter of recommendation says a lot as well. I wouldn't worry too much about the previous employer. It probably just wasn't a good fit.
5. First, it isn't true that previous employers aren't allowed to give specifics. They most certainly can be very specific. However, most employers have company policies to only give very limited information (dates of employment and maybe salary). Secondly, many potential employers want more than just one reference from previous jobs. My company insisted on three and wanted more than just confirmation of dates and salary. Consider former co-workers as potential references. Typically, you don't tell you current employer you are looking for another job until you get a job offer. Therefore, you don't want your current employer to be contacted. Telling your current employer that you decided to look for another job, just might get you immediately terminated. It's always a bad idea to burn bridges, even if you hated the job and got great pleasure telling him off.
6. I am an office manager in New York and I do call for past employer referrals. They are not allowed to say too much only that you worked there, for how long, and if they would re-hire you...thats about it. Unfortunately, not everyone can keep their mouth shut so there is really nothing you can do about a bad reference. But that does not mean a new company wont hire you either. I tend to base on information on the job interview more than references anyway. I've had people show up late to interviews with good references. I've had people be rude at interviews and they had good references. So you can never tell. Do you live in NY? I may give you a job! Lill2441@yahoo.com
7. You're wrong. Past employers CAN give specifics about your job performance. They can share any truthful information and they can absolutely state their opinion of your work for them. It's an urban legend that employers can only provide dates and employment and salary. Some employers won't provide more than that, but all have the right to answer all questions truthfully.
8. There is nothing preventing your prior employer from discussion your job performance. Your only option is to be honest about the situation. Four years is a long time, so I doubt your prior job will have much impact. It's likely they will only verify dates and position -- if they verify anything. Most employers don't give out negative references due to liability.