There are very few things that are as
unpleasant as having an excited candidate about a job, a pleased future
employer and then…a negative reference check…
I don’t do reference checks by
default but for some of my clients, it is part of any hiring process. Although
candidates may assume the contrary, this is not a simple courtesy call.
A reference check mainly wants to
ensure that a prospective employee is who he or she claims to be and is capable
of doing the job. Traditionally, it is done for the last one or two candidates.
If you have gotten to this stage, you are close to landing the job. To make
sure that the sting is not in the tail, here are a few tips.
It all starts by choosing the right
references.
Choose people who will paint an
honest representation of who you are as a person and as an employee. I will be
looking for your roles and responsibilities, your key achievements, your
strengths and your weaknesses. Make sure that the people who provide you with
references can talk in detail about all of these aspects, not because they like
you as a person but because they have worked with you for a significant amount
of time. They don’t have to picture you as being the perfect employee, no one
is, but the majority of what they tell me should make you attractive for your
employer-to-be.
Once you have identified these
people, make sure that you reach out to them before sending me their details.
It does not exactly ooze professionalism
when the person on the other end of the line wonders why I could be calling
them. Or worse, does not remember ever working together with you.
Of course you can merely send an
e-mail to inform them but a quick phone-call will significantly increase the
impact. It allows you to explain the role you are applying for, the challenges
this will bring and the strengths and characteristics you would like to
highlight. They will be able to better prepare what they are going to say and
their reference will have a lot more value for your future employer.
Ask them for appropriate timeslots
during which they will be available. Pro-activeness is a quality I highly value…
Also, and this is too often
forgotten, provide feedback to them on what the outcome was and thank them for
their time…you may need a glowing reference next time around.
Certain situations may present as
challenges as far as a good references goes: you may have had a bad
relationship with a previous boss or you may have separated in bad terms from a
previous employer. Better than trying to hide it, be up front about it. Being
open from the start won’t harm you, on the contrary, it will give you the
advantage that you will be able to picture the circumstances, what you have
learned from it and how you would do things differently. Counterbalance
potentially bad references with positive references on the qualities that are
crucial for your future role.
I can’t provide you with a recipe for
perfection but these tips should allow you to get the sting out of the tail. Should
you need some more detailed advice, don’t hesitate to send me an e-mail.
Isabel
Through a personalized and
tailor-made approach, Ingenium Executive Search aspires to assist you in
attracting the right talent that matches the DNA of your company
Follow me on Twitter @IngeniumSearch
