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Resumes Win Interviews,
But References Win Job Offers
It has been said that “Inquiring minds want to
know” and no minds are more inquiring than those about to
hire you. Rest assured, you will be investigated. As a rule of thumb,
the better the job and the higher the pay, the tougher the screening
process. If you are up for a good job at a visible company, your
references and past employers will be checked in considerable detail. A
check of your references is simply the beginning of the investigation a
prospective employer will conduct.
When a prospective employer has completed the first round of interviews
and you are among the top candidates, their next logical step is to
check your references and interview those individuals to whom you
reported, and/or their company’s HR representative. Are you
certain these individuals will seal the deal for you, or will they kill
it? If you are like most people, you probably haven't given
your references much thought. Instead, you have focused on your resume,
interviewing skills, networking, and what to wear to the interview. If
so, consider a necessary paradigm shift.
Your biggest concern should be the quality of your references and
recommendations from past employers, because they will almost certainly
make or break your chances. About half of all references that get
checked offer commentary that is mediocre to poor about the former
employee, so it is very possible that the great job you lost out on at
the last moment had nothing to do with your skill set.
Rather, it could have had more to do with what a reference or past
employer said about you. A negative reference is a frightening scenario
when your livelihood is at stake.
Here is a sampling of the damaging comments HR people and supervisors
commonly hear when they check references:
- "Our company policy prohibits us saying anything. We can
only verify
dates of employment and title." Then the reference goes on to say
something like, "Check his references very, very carefully."
- "Are you certain he gave my name as a reference?"
- "After we settle our lawsuit..."
- "Let me see what the paperwork says I am able to give out
regarding
_______."
- "Is he still in this field?"
References and past employers won't call and warn you that they are not
going to be complimentary. The reference situation is ever changing and
therefore very volatile because of shifting company policies (not that
many employees choose to follow them anyway), new employees in HR
departments, new laws governing references, and company liability for
giving references.
You are well advised to take more control of your career momentum by
finding out what every potential reference will say about you. Whether
your reference’s input is stellar or negative, there is a
“peace of mind” element in knowing precisely what
your reference has – and will say - about you. This
allows you to proactively manage your reference-checking process - you
will be able to pass on your best references with greater confidence.
You will also have the legal recourse to stop references from saying
things that are not true, inaccurate or potentially damaging.
Increasing Your Chances
of a Good Reference
Here are some general
rules of thumb to maximize your prospects with your job references:
1. Make sure your records
are correct. Occasionally an interviewee
looks bad because their former HR department did not have the same job
date and title information in their file as the candidate did on their
resume. Data entry or communications errors are not unusual, so check
with your HR department to ensure that their records correspond to
yours. Conflicting data will be perceived as a negative to a
prospective employer.
2. Maintain active and
positive relationships with your references.
Stay in touch over the phone or over coffee. Keep the reference
up-to-date about your progress, and make sure you have the most
up-to-date information about them. If the reference's title (or name)
has changed, or if they've left their position and you've provided old
information to the prospective employer, it doesn't look good.
3. Advise a reference
about an important opportunity. To avoid burning
out your references, don't contact them about every single job
opportunity. However, if a particular position is very important to
you, call the reference and give them details about what the company
may be looking for.
4. Know reporting
relationships. Even though you've given the senior
vice president's name as a reference, the prospective employer may
resort to calling the director you reported to because she can't reach
the senior VP. Even though you have not given that person's name as a
reference, it is on the application that you probably filled out. You
may want to advise your former boss about the potential for a reference
check and explain what the company is looking for.
5. Know your company's
policy. Although federal law restricts reference
information, some states now allow more extensive disclosure. Know
which regulations and policies govern your company. In addition, be
aware that some employees will intentionally or unknowingly break
company policy in offering references. Make sure that works in your
favor by checking with references to gain an understanding of what they
might say.
6. Don't rely on
relatives or letters of recommendation. You are well
advised not to let Uncle John regale a prospective employer about your
antics as a youth. Also, although letters of recommendation can be
helpful, information such as titles and even names can change over
time. Make sure that the information on your letter of recommendation
is correct by contacting the reference periodically.
7. Use a
reference-checking service. If you want help in
identifying
your favorable (and unfavorable) references or if you find that you are
losing too many opportunities after several interviews with an
organization, you might want to commission a professional
reference-checking service. Check to ensure that the service has the
professional and legal personnel that can develop a strategic use of
your references. Typical service fees range from $79 to $99 per
reference checked, depending on level of job position being sought.
For the past 25 years, Allisontaylor.com, an Allison & Taylor
Reference Checking, Inc. company, has been assisting job seekers in
determining the quality of their references. Founded by Heidi Allison,
President of SOCRATES, this company has been featured in Glamour, New
Woman, Worth, NBEW, Detroit News and St. Petersburg Times. Allison
& Taylor is headquartered in Rochester, MI. We have a sound
management team and an exceptionally well trained and motivated staff
of loyal professionals committed to performing this service at the
highest level. For additional information on this crucial service, call
Heidi M. Allison, Managing Director, at 800 890-5645 or visit their
comprehensive web site at www.allisontaylor.com.
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