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Three Steps to Better / Happier / More Useful References
Do you have references available for companies to call? If so, do they get the snot bugged out of them by all of the HR people & recruiters calling them?
Yeah - it’s a bummer the way that works. You are happy that the reference will talk to people about you, but you don’t want them called 50 times a week.
On the other hand, HR people ask for the references up front and you don’t want to be a “problem child” right from the beginning. You at least want to wait until after they hire you…
So, the big question is how do you fire up your candidacy with references without bugging them so much that they’re sorry they agreed to be a reference?
Today, I have the three keys to references for you…
THREE STEPS TO BETTER / HAPPIER / MORE USEFUL REFERENCES
When dealing with references, you need to make 3 people happy:
- HR / Recruiter - They want to know that someone will say good things about you before they get too far through the process.
- The Reference - They are - initially - happy to help you in your job search. At least, until the time required starts to affect their own work.
- You! - You need to show that you’re wonderful so that you can get a stinking job!
So, how do you keep all of these people happy and still get your job? Here’s how I used to handle references as an employee and how I encourage candidates to do it today:
1) Have a set of written references (without contact information) that you can hand out at the early stages if people need them before it is time. Be sure to make copies! I didn’t do this early in my work life and I lost a great written reference forever.
2) If they ask to contact your references any time before the second or third interview, let them know that you can provide the information when everyone agrees that you are a finalist (as in one of 3 or so) for the position.
3) Once you get to that “finalist” stage, then provide the phone numbers / e-mail addresses of your references so that they can check the statements on paper. This is also easier on the referers (if that’s a word) since they (usually) don’t have to go through all of the 4-page, 20-question, “if the employee was a plant, what kind of plant would they be?” nonsense.
Using this process, you can provide glowing references to your potential employers and only have the important ones bug you.
Voila!
Enjoy the Search!
Dan
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Daniel R. Sweet
Chief Cook-And-Bottle-Washer / Technical Recruiter
FRACAT.com - Free Resume and Career Toolbox
LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielrsweet
Call me on Jaxtr: http://www.jaxtr.com/fracat
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