<prompt> Human: My uncle hasnt been able to get a job for quite some time. He has gone on dozens of interviews but nothing has panned out. He quit his last job quickly due to extenuating family circumstances cancer and we are thinking maybe that company could be saying something bad. He listed the company on his resume but didnt include anyone from the company in his references section. Is it possible that potential employers are contacting the company without our knowledge? Would that be common practice? He works at the director level if that matters.  <response>: Its possible, but that is definitely not a common practice in my experience. 