A while ago, we
covered Nicholas Carroll's guide to
downgrading your resume, which contains advice on how to downplay your career achievements when looking for a job a rung or two below on the corporate ladder. Among other tips, Carroll says not to worry too much about reference checks: "
What reference checks? ... References seem to be a distant past."
This observation intrigued me, and I've since had a chance to look into several questions concerning job references: Do employers use them? Are they helpful? And, what kind of references should job applicants provide?
The truth is, reference checks rarely help out employers, according to an
article on CareerBuilder.com. Employers are more likely to consult an applicant's Facebook and LinkedIn profiles, in addition to his or her credit and even criminal histories.
I mean, when you think about it, how are a list of people
handpicked by the applicant going to provide reliable feedback? In my experience, references can range from biased to downright fabrications. I've had a couple former bosses and supervisors ask
me what I wanted them to say about my job performance—even offering to let me to pick a title. And it gets worse. My friend's brother owns a company, and even though my friend has never worked there, his brother lies during recommendations and says he's been a manager, and a valuable team member at that.
Both Carroll and CareerBuilder also point to some important legal concerns. Many employers, Carroll says, are afraid to give out recommendations for liability reasons. (Like, if a former employee goes crazy at the new job.) It's true—my mom used to work at the Kennedy Center in DC, and all her supervisors are willing to provide to prospective employers is a confirmation that yes, she worked there during such and such timespan. They won't say anything about her job performance.
CareerBuilder adds that some employers are afraid to consult references because of the laws restricting the hiring process. Employers are, of course, not allowed to discriminate when turning down employees, so they often do not check references to prevent any liability.
All that being said, it's still sketchy to not provide
any references to a potential employer, so here are some of CareerBuilder's tips on preparing for references:
- Wait to provide references until you're asked to do so directly. It will give you more time to prepare your references and such, and you'll also get to learn more about the job.
- Prep your references as much as possible. First, make sure each is okay with being your reference, then make note of how they'd prefer to be contacted (phone, email, smoke signals). Also, don't be afraid to tell them which of your skills and accomplishments to highlight, but don't tell everyone the same thing or they'll come out sounding rehearsed.
- As always, be aware of your Internet persona. Set that tequila shot pic to friends-only.
What are your experiences with references? Do you think they're useful to employers?Image Source
sarah
Comments (4)
i actually went back to some of my old employers and asked them if my new employers called them when they said they would. and my old employers said that no phone call/smoke signals ever happened.
i know some stores asked for personal references. those are really weird since they can be your best friend and can lie outta their butt
but i agree that most stores will lie to scare the prospectives
@letsgetD0WNx@xanga - Yeah personal references always seemed weird to me. It's like, wow, we're not even pretending to be legitimate.
Yes this is so true. And references here have become a game, so that if you say you worked somewhere, then you have to give a name, and if you quit, it goes against you!
i never really applied for a job that needed my resume, i just got hired.
but for class when we had to put together our resumes, i put my old teacher who i did volunteer work for 3 years
and another teacher who i worked/volunteered as a teacher's assistance/aid for a year.
it made me feel better to have references down especially when i looked at classmates who didn't have references but i think the point of references is to show your boss that you are capable of getting someone's permission to use their name then get them to say good things about you. (: