Dodger, Tilii
Whilst one admires the high moral ground re asking contacts in a network for information on applicants, it is a widespread practice in almost all UK industry.
It could be argued that those who seek the information are doing the right thing for their organisation in getting as much information as possible before making a decision. Now I understand some of this may be tittle tattle but the same can sometimes be found in formal written references which may be deliberately misleading.
The old boy networker may also claim, in justification, that he or she has a duty of care to his company and to fellow employees and passengers to ensure that we engage the truly competent.
[ 04 September 2001: Message edited by: slj ]