Check Your Own References

You're soooo close. Resume? Check. Phone screen? Check. In-person interview? Check. If you are still in the running (and if you have been keeping up with Happy Hour with Manny, you probably are), time for reference checks. Below you will find some information to make this process smoother for all involved.

Who should you choose?

Most organizations that still conduct reference checks will ask for three to four references. Ideally, these references are individuals with whom you have maintained contact. The reasoning will be clear shortly. These references should also span across at least the last two places of employment, or if you are early in your career, your most recent educational experience. At least two of these references should be people of authority. They were a direct supervisor, professor, coach, etc. The last reference should be a coworker that you interacted with directly during your previous employment and is familiar with your responsibilities at that job.

Things to note: First, if you are leaving a current position and you are choosing a reference from that place of employment, please make sure you trust this individual to maintain the request between you and them. If an offer does not come through, this could affect your dynamics at your current job. Second, this is more common sense, but still important to note, it is ideal if these individuals have a positive-view of you as a person and as a professional. Third, confirm you have the right contact information and that you have asked for their permission to use them as a reference.

Communicate

It is critical that you communicate with each of your references. Inform each reference they will be contacted by a potential employer. You do not want them to be caught off guard during a reference call or potentially not respond to the request. You will also want to inform each of you references what position and organization you are applying for. They will be more capable of tailoring their responses if they know what the critical responsibilities or traits are for your desired role. It is also a good idea to send over a copy of your resume to each of your references. This will help clear up any perceived discrepancies or fill any gaps of information the reference may have.

How will your references be contacted?

There are two main methods of communication with references, e-mail or calls. The most common method is an HR professional from the organization or a contracted reference check company will call your reference. They usually have a set of questions to run through. Some organizations will e-mail a 10-15 minute survey to your references and they will be required to fill it out on their own via desktop or mobile device.

What will they be asked?

Here are couple of topics that may be asked during a reference call:

- What your job title was

- How long you were there

- Why you left

- How much you were paid (Not applicable in Oregon and Delaware due to legislation)

- What your responsibilities were

- How you interacted with your coworkers

- If you were on time

- If they would hire you again

- If they would recommend you for the job in question

Changing Times

As legal requirements change so will the nature of reference calls. For example, Oregon and Delaware have changed their laws so employers are no longer allowed to ask about salary history to reduce wage gaps. Another growing concern is organizations getting sued for defamation or discrimination due to references, so companies are less and less willing to have their personnel give a full reference. On the other side of the coin, companies conducting the reference checks are aware that individuals tend to choose individuals that will be favorable to them. So these companies tend to opt for personality and skill assessments for fit.

With this additional information, the reference check process should go much smoother. The next call you receive from this potential employer may just be an offer.

Have you had any issues with your references? Do you have any questions about your job search, interviewing, or your resume? Please comment below or on our Facebook page. You may see your questions featured on one of our posts!

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This post was sponsored by Stallion Consulting Group, LLC. Stallion Consulting Group provides one-on-one coaching and also partners with companies to improve their recruiting processes.

#References #InterviewPrep #JobSearching #networking