Hiring or Rehiring

What is the name of your state? Ohio

This is a long story and I will shorten it as best as I can and still provide enough information. About ten years ago I had a job working for the state of Ohio. I had worked there for eight years. I was forced to leave by a co-worker that I was involved with. He became physically abusive both away from work and at work. (I tried all avenues to get him away from me restraining orders etc.) He even began carrying a gun on state property to "keep me in line". On what would end up being my last day there he had threatened my life saying this is it. That, that night I would pay for upsetting him. He was going to kill me and then himself. I believed him. The next day I resigned. The Human Resource lady asked me if there was anything that she could do for me to change my mind about quitting and I told her that there was no other way out for me. I then asked if she could do me a favor and she said sure. I tearfully said “One day I want to come back here, when he’s gone… will you hire me then? She said, “I sure will”. I then went into hiding in another city for months in fear of for my life.
I am now forty-one and this is where my skills are. I want to go back to my former job. There are openings right now. The position offers great benefits and retirement. He is no longer employed there. I loved it there working with the mentally retarded population. I have excellent references and much experience in the field.
Finally, in August of 2002 I had the two usual interviews and they went great, I was fingerprinted and ready to go. The interviewer told me that I had given the best interview that she ever had and that they were glad that I was coming back. I was waiting on the call to start orientation when the call came that I wasn't selected for the position. I have been rejected for nearly a year now after reapplying over and over. I do know of people that have no experience being hired and I believe that they won't allow me back there because of that trouble. They know that I did report that he had a gun and they did nothing about it. I am not there to cause any trouble or to stir up the past but I feel I have suffered enough living in fear all these years and losing a job that I loved.

I try to make it make sense. I was forced to leave a job I loved, he gets to stay and make a decent living with very good benefits. My credit gets all messed up because I don’t have an income for months following my resignation from the state. I was afraid to look for work even out of the area because he had a sister that works for the phone company and a brother that works for the post office.

A couple of months ago I requested to look at my file. They complied. My personnel file has many accommodations. However, the only thing that referenced the abuse situation was a sticky-note that said, "Employee states that lawyer advised her to stay away for safety reasons". One little sentence! I couldn’t believe it. It was almost like nothing had happened! The letter that I sent them and asked that it be placed in my file was nowhere to be seen.
Jobs are hard to come by these days, all I want is to work in the field that I love.
Please advise…RainScape

7/17/03 My Supervisor had known him since high school and just dismissed the idea that he could do anything like that. I told her on several occassions about his behavior (This was while I worked there).

I talked with human Resources a couple of weeks ago they said to just accept the letter. That I wasn't selected and that my application would be kept on file for a year. They refuse to tell me why.

[Beth3]

Rain, first did you ever report to your employer that you were being harassed, threatened, and stalked by this co-worker? It's not at all clear that you did.

Second, if you did make a complaint to the employer, any investigatory notes do NOT belong and are not kept in an employee's personnel file - especially the file of the employee bringing the complaint. The fact that those records are not in your personnel file doesn't mean anything other than they followed proper protocol and kept them separately.

Third, did they give you ANY reason why you weren't selected?