References

What will your references say?

Periodically I become upset as a recruiter, even though I have enough scars to prove my longevity in the industry.  What follows is an article I wrote when I was raging behind the scenes about what happened.

As a recruiter in the semiconductor industry, where most candidates are super bright, I sometimes forget that not everybody knows how important references are.  I had a candidate who refused to send me references timely and when I received them, they were his friends, his buddies, not people who spoke professionally about his work history. My client hired a different candidate.

References can foil the deal when you are very close to the job offer.  Companies don’t usually contact your references until the end of the process and responses can be reason for dismissal if they find you have been untruthful even after you report to work.

You need people on your reference list with whom you have worked.  Do not provide names of people who will put your job in jeopardy.  But you must determine people with whom you work who can provide detailed information regarding your work habits and ethics.  Recruiters and Human Resource people would like to have at least 5 references, although they may not all be contacted.  They will want a manager (can be a former manager), a colleague and if you manage people, they will want a direct report.  They need to have recent experience with your work, as statistics demonstrate that your most recent experience is the most relevant to your next job.  If all your references are from another century, your expertise will be highly suspect!

Many times technical references are sought for you by the hiring manager or designated team member.  You do not want to oversell or undersell your skills.  Be truthful or you will be sorry.

If you’ve had a bad experience recently, you will need to cautiously determine who can speak for you who will not make this the situation detrimental to you.  Employers back away from horror stories.  They are afraid of history repeating itself.  Be honest, but diplomatic.

It is important that you have an excellent list of references. Please take time to notify each person on your reference list when you expect an employer or recruiter to contact that individual. Prior points to discuss with your references are:

• Your relationship –
  Don’t give the name of someone with whom you’ve had repeated conflicts.  Do you really want the individual to say, “He’s really good at getting angry.” OR “She’s fine, as long as she gets her way!”

• Your reason for leaving the company –
  You need a legitimate reason, but not: “I didn’t get a recent promotion I thought I deserved.”  Better to say, “I’ve been with the company for several years and I’m ready for change.”  OR  “There’s been a management change and I no longer fit the job.”  If you say, “My new boss is a tyrant and I want out,” your potential employer will certainly wonder if you may be a risk.  Be honest, but couch it diplomatically.

• Confirm the contact information for day and evening –
  You don’t want to provide any inaccurate information.  If you haven’t talked with a reference for a while, you must make sure the phone numbers and email are still valid.  You look foolish to the recruiter if your information is not correct.  It’s also a strong indication you may not be very detail oriented.

• Your strengths/competencies –
  You must spend time talking with your references regarding what your strengths (and weaknesses) are.  Since you may need to focus on different competencies for different jobs, you will need to contact your references before each time he or she will be called to assure the reference concentrates on what is important.  One time I gave a glowing reference for one of my former manager’s talent in supervision but the company was hiring him as an individual contributor!  Whoops!  He hadn’t prepared me adequately.

• Your weaknesses –
  Every asset can be a liability.  Make sure, if the reference is asked about any weaknesses (or the euphemism “developmental needs”), you and s/he are on the same page.  For example, if you aren’t very organized, tell the reference how you compensate for that by making lists of what needs to be done and then organizing the tasks so that nothing is left to chance.  And many references say, “I didn’t really see any weaknesses.  S/he knows how to compensate for any as I just didn’t see them.”  But be honest!  Otherwise, it can bite the person in the back-end of the process, so to speak!  If there are developmental needs, the company needs to know.  If the individual has the right skills, a small flaw will make no difference and you will appear more human.

• Would he or she re-hire you –
  This one is simple: “Yes, if I had the right job opening.”

• How does the candidate get along with people –
  Your reference should be able to cite instances where you’ve had difficult people to deal with, yet coped well.  How was the situation managed?  You may need to provide an example.

If you would like a template for your reference sheet or a template which may help you with your resume preparation, contact us.  They are both free upon request.

What candidates say

“We must BE the change, not just expect it to happen.”