Providing Employment References

Job references, sometimes referred to as, employment references, are a critical step in the hiring process.

Most companies will call 2 or 3 of your references and ask them a series of questions about you before they decide to extend you an offer.

Make sure your employment references will talk positively about you, and give you a glowing recommendation.

Don't assume this will happen automatically.

Do you remember that old seaman's song...many a men lie asleep in the deep...so beware...beware...

This should be a job seekers theme song as they decide which of their current and past associates to choose as job references.

Why should you be worried about your employment references? After all, they're not only my close working associates, they're my friends.

Reality Check: How you perceive yourself, and how someone else perceives you, can be surprisingly different. This is even true about people you know, like, and trust. You can and should coach your job references on how to present you in the best light to a prospective employer.

1. At the beginning of your job search, sit down in a quiet place and put together a list of 5 professional job references. Professional is defined as a past supervisor, peer, customer, supplier, or anyone who had a close working relationship with you. Supervisors, or anyone above you in authority, carry the most weight with a prospective employer.
2. Never provide employment references to anyone without first discussing it with your reference and asking for their permission. You want willing, enthusiastic, available references. Notice I said, available. It's annoying and reflects badly on you if one of your references doesn't return calls promptly. When companies get to this stage of the hiring process, they want to do these references yesterday.
3. When a prospective employer asks for employment references, only give them 3 of your 5 references. Keep the other 2 for back up in case they have difficulty getting a hold of someone. Call your references and let them know they might be getting a call from so and so. Tell them it's vital for them to return the company's call pronto. Ask them to call you afterwards to discuss.
4. If you are doing a lot of interviewing over a long period of time, check in with your employment references every 2-3 weeks to make sure they are still on board and not getting tired or annoyed with calls from prospective employers.
5. Avoid resume references. Also, do not type on your resume, references available upon request. Everyone already knows this and it's an overused phrase. The reason you should avoid listing your employment references on your resume is because you don't want anybody and everybody calling up your references whenever they feel like it. You need to be in control of who is going to call them and when. Also, sometimes recruiters and companies will try and recruit your references. Right now you need a job and you want the focus to be on yourself.
6. Avoid providing personal references (friends, pastor, neighbors) unless you are fresh out of college or just beginning your career. Even then, you probably had a part time job and you could still list one or more of your past supervisors as a a reference. Your best friend or next door neighbor is not going to give you a very objective reference and companies know this.
7. If you lose your job for poor performance or other controversial reasons, don't ask your boss to give you a letter of recommendation or to be one of your references. This seems like obvious advice, but some people reason that their former boss will at least help them land another job. Your x-boss at best will give you an average reference which is the same thing as a bad reference.

   Special Tip: If you were fired or lost your job for controversial reasons, before you exit the building, sit down with your boss and the HR Manager and get them to commit to you to only provide your name, rank, and serial number to prospective employers who call them for a reference.

   This is becoming very common today as companies are getting sued, and losing in court, for bad mouthing someone about their job performance. Your company will be happy to oblige you because they don't want to be embroiled in a law suit or controversy after you're gone.

   What's nice about this, is sometimes a prospective employer will ask you if they can contact your past supervisor or company. They do this to test your reaction because if you have something to hide, you're going to dance and fidget.

   If you've covered this base as part of your exit interview, you can confidently tell them, Sure! When they call, the company will politely tell them it's against company policy to provide detailed personal references. They can only confirm the dates you worked there and your last position title.

   Now your prospective employer has no choice but to call your hand picked references.

8. Use character reference letters sparingly and only under special circumstances. As a general rule, don't oversell yourself.

   Lot's of people don't listen to this advice and bombard companies with too much information. They don't realize this is a sure way to screen themselves out. You are better off leaving a company a little hungry to know more about you.

   Personal reference letters from a prior boss can be helpful after an interview if you are competing with 1 or 2 other candidates. In this case you can share this letter of recommendation to help give you an edge.

   Another good use of a reference letter is to present it in person to the company during an interview if you feel you need a little more ammunition.

1. What was your professional relationship with Ivanna Onatop?

   Reason: Determines the weight and value of the person giving the reference. Supervisors score highest.

2. How long have you known her?

   Reason: Determines depth of working relationship.

3. What was her title and job responsibilities?

   Reason: Check this information against the resume to make sure candidate hasn't souped up their title or duties.

4. On a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate the quality of Ivanna's work, and why?

   Reason: Asking for a numerical value is better than weasel words like good, great, wonderful. Also asking why, prompts them to give you a situation or example that backs up their rating of this candidate.

5. How does Ivanna compare with others in the same position?

   Reason: Is this person below average, average, above average, better than most, or superior than most?

6. Can you share with me an example when Ivanna stood out from among her peers, or was recognized for an outstanding achievement?

   Reason: Situations and stories are 10 times more powerful than flowery words or generalities. What makes her different than anyone else? Gives the company a feel whether or not she is above average.

7. Can you think of an area where Ivanna could improve upon to make her more successful?

   Reason: Subtle way of asking, what are her weaknesses? Believe it or not, over 50% of employer references oblige and share a negative or two about you. Here is where you need to provide some input to your employment reference so they don't unintentionally throw you under the bus.

8. Give me some examples of Ivanna's organizational skills?

   Reason: Most employees today carry a large work load--especially with all the downsizing that has been going on. It's important for companies to know how candidates manage their responsibilities. It's easy to say someone is well organized, but good examples prove these abilities.

9. Please give me 3 strengths of Ivanna's professional abilities.

   Reason: If someone is good, their strengths are obvious. If the person providing the job reference hems and haws to come up with 3 strengths, then that is a sign this candidate might be pretty ordinary.

10. Do you know why Ivanna left her last job, or why does she want to leave Gene Splicing International?

    Reason: Company has already asked the candidate this question and has their answer. They want to compare answers. A few candidates get caught in the cross fire with this one last question. Sometimes a company discovers a candidate was laid off alright, but oddly enough, they were the only person in the entire company laid off. Hmmmm...sounds like she was fired.

Most reference checks are done at the end of the interviewing process. The candidate has been deemed worthy and now the company wants to do their final checks to confirm their choice.

Employment references can also be a tie breaker between 2-3 strong candidates. So, the people you provide for your employment references can make a difference as to whether or not you get an offer.

Look at them as key witnesses in a big trial.

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