Have you checked in with your references lately?
Do you know what your former bosses and co-workers are saying about you? If you thought you were a shoe-in for a job offer, after going through the entire process, to find out you didn’t get it–check your references!
Don’t get duped into believing that employers don’t really check references–they do!
According to Julia Chase, owner of References-etc.com, a reference checking company for job hunters, a full 64% of all references checked by her company are either negative or indifferent.
“People think that previous employers won’t give bad references, but they are wrong and a bad reference can, just like a bad apple ruin the bunch.”
You can’t assume that just because you asked someone to be a reference for you, that they will give you a glowing one. Usually, personal friends and close coworkers are not as big of a problem. Since you are in a relationship with them you can get a good idea of what they would say about you. But what about former bosses and managers?
Know your current employer’s policies
If you know you are going to be leaving your current job, find out what their policy on providing references are. Some businesses will only verify that you did actually work there during the times you said you did. That’s it. Others have more freedom to talk about job performance.
In order to prepare for providing positive references that are going to help you get new job, check out out list of Five Essentials for Reference Preparation. This also includes information about your rights if you feel you are being unfairly represented by a reference.
Good luck out there. We are here to help in all areas of the job search process.
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