Who Loves Ya Baby?

Do your references love you?  I am guessing you think they do otherwise you wouldn’t have listed them as references…right?  Out of ten candidates’ references I would check as a recruiter, only six were typically as good as the candidate had thought.

What makes a good reference?

• The reference is a past supervisor – A reference that isn’t from a previous supervisor needs to be pretty impressive to carry any weight.
• They are reachable within a few hours -  Time kills all deals in the hiring world.  If an employer is on the fence between you and another candidate but your references aren’t timely in their response, it is likely they will go with the other person whose references are completed.
• They provide more than dates and a job title – The litigious world in which we live has caused many companies to adopt a policy of only providing dates of employment and job titles when providing references.  Employers want more.  Give them someone who is willing to talk  “off the record” and wax magically about your omnipotence.
• They never give a weakness or an area of improvement – Some references in their quest for fairness and integrity feel they must add something negative to their assessment of you because “after all, no one is perfect.”  Other times references don’t realize they are hurting you by saying things like, “Well Mary had a little drinking problem at one point but she really cleaned herself up and became my best employee.”

How to check the strength of your references:

• Interview your reference – Ask them if they are willing to amuse you by participating in a little role playing where you are the employer checking the reference.  If they give you an answer that is a bit questionable, see if  they are open to rephrasing their response.
• Use a recruiter – Once a recruiter decides to represent you, they will normally check your references.  The good ones can handle much of the leg work on interviewing and advising them on their answers.  If there is a bad one the recruiter will let you know.
• Have a friend call and pose as an employer – When they call the reference, have them really push for a weakness and see what happens.  If the reference gives a weakness that might not put you in the best light, it might be time to find another one…reference that is.
• They would hire you back – Often times the reference checker will ask, “Would you hire this person back?”  Your references should only say yes.  Even if their policy is not to hire anyone back who has left their employ, they need to state that if it was within their ability, they would hire you back.

If you have a bad reference and can’t think of anyone else what do you do?

• Track them down – Just because a reference isn’t with a particular company any longer doesn’t mean you still can’t use them as a reference.  Hop on the internet, call the company, ask your friends and find them.
• Contact a peer if you must – If you can’t find that supervisory reference then use a peer or colleague.  It doesn’t carry nearly as much weight but it is better than having your parents as the only reference.