Does this scenario sound familiar? In your search for new employment, you’ve done your homework in refining your resume and presentation skills and have perhaps even “aced” an interview (or two) in spades. A prospective job offer is within reach; one of the last hurdles remaining, the reference checking process.
Realizing that your career may rest in a reference’s hands, you consider using a friend (or relative) – posing as a potential employer – to see what a reference will say about you to a prospective employer.
While this tactic may be tempting, there are a number of reasons why this is a bad idea:
1. Most friends, however well intended, are not reference checking professionals. They may act in an unprofessional manner, ask inappropriate or illegal questions, or allow something to slip that could compromise your position.
2. Some states impose limitations or restrictions on impersonations. A good reference-checking enterprise knows the legal limitations of reference checking and does not cross those lines.
3. Your reference may convey subtle verbal nuances that a friend may not pick up on. Intonation, wording, and hesitations in responses can be “red flags” to a professional reference checker that may not be picked up by an unseasoned ear.
Come back tomorrow and we’ll discuss the remaining reasons why its not a good idea to have your friend check your references.