Boom!
Right smack dab in the middle of my day I get a fresh, unsolicited email dropped into the middle of my inbox.
Dear Kevin,
So-and-so listed you as a reference and I wanted to reach out and ask you some questions. Can you please provide detailed responses to the following 12 questions about this person for me please?
Thanks,
Corporate Recruiter
Wow. Yeah, that is just what I needed. More work to do today.
Hey, so-and-so. Why don’t you just take me off your references list as I don’t have time for that.
Whew – deep breath.
Let me start over.
Having ranted and raved about the whole resume process and how awful it is many times previously, the act of putting references on a resume and then in the recruiter following up and reaching out to said references is just the cherry on top of a putrid pie.
However, my thoughts on the matter notwithstanding, the hiring process with resumes and often references is firmly entrenched at least in corporate capitalism.
That means, unfortunately, that most of us at some point will need to participate in this process.
Sometimes you may find yourself as the applicant. In this role you are trying really hard to find a job and get hired. You want to put your best foot forward and you are now being asked to provide a list of people that they can talk to.
About you.
How will they respond? Will it help you in getting this role?
Other times you may find yourself as the person on the list of references. Did you know that you were on this list?
Is this the type of person that you would vouch for? What kind of responses are you going to provide to the questions being asked?
While this isn’t a super complicated process, there are some topics that every applicant should be aware of and some actions that should be taken, and some avoided, when providing resumes in the job hunting process.
Read on for some tips, dos, and don’ts as you navigate the challenging world of hiring.
Don’t Include References On Your Resume
You won’t find any references listed on my resume anywhere. Not having them listed on your main resume actually helps you control the process quite a bit more.
Also, as reflected by a simple google search, the lack of references on a resume is typically not seen as a detriment to you as a candidate.
If not having references feels like you are missing out, then try a simple statement of “References Available Upon Request” at the bottom of your resume.
This will cover your rear in the case that someone is looking for references, and gets you out of providing them in most situations.
However, sometimes the job description explicitly states that they want references or the recruiter will choose to ask you for them. Now we get to the next stage in handling resume references:
Ask Permission To Use Someone As A Reference
The etiquette here dictates that you should reach out and ask someone if you can use them as a reference.
There are a lot of reasons for this. First, the whole point of references is to get feedback on the potential candidate for a role.
As you are the person applying, wouldn’t it be nice if the feedback about you was positive and encouraging and helped to position you as the right person for the job?
Second, being asked puts people in a much better frame of mind towards you and your abilities. Trust me – the example that is written about at the top of this article is something that happened to me recently and makes my gut reaction to push back and not give as good of a response as I might have otherwise.
Finally, it is just polite. Anyone that you use a reference is doing you a favor in a professional capacity. That carries a lot of weight. Their reputation and opinions are being expressed to strangers which also could have a bearing on their career.
Sure, they probably won’t see any direct ramifications, but you would be surprised at how small some industries and locations can be. People talk and you never know what gossip will makes the rounds.
It is always better to ask and get confirmation first.
Don’t Use These People As References
References are the part of this process that you control!
Occasionally, someone hiring for a position will reach out to a previous company listed on your resume to try and glean some nuggets of information about you. The decision to make this call is completely out of your control.
Additionally, the information provided here is like living in the wild west – you never know what is coming around the next bend.
Some HR departments are aboveboard and ethical and won’t provide much other than basic details about the separation. Others may not have such high standards and are willing to dish the dirt on former employees.
In other situations, there might be a personal connection somewhere between someone at a potential new place of employment and your old one – in that case all bets are off as a discussion between these people is probably going to include any gossip, rumors, and innuendo that accompanied your previous separation.
So back to your references. This is where the content of your character and your high ethical ideals can be put on full display for the recruiter – as long as you are choosing the right people here.
So who are the right people to use?
Don’t use family members, scout/club leaders, clergy, or friends – These people have a vested interest in you already and hiring managers know that. It is awesome to have interests outside of work, but we want to know how you operate and function in a workplace and this group of people probably won’t have that context to provide. Avoid this group if possible.
Do Use Professional Mentors, Colleagues, and Former Bosses – This group will provide the best kinds of references. These people have seen you in action and can shed some light on how you perform (in a good way) in the workplace. These are the types of contacts that you want to have when needing to provide good references for your abilities and character. If possible, use people from this group above all others.
Don’t use your boss that just let you go – There are always exceptions to the rule, and you might have an instance where a hiring manager had to get rid of someone and you just happened to be the most inexperienced and they might give you a good recommendation. But those scenarios are few and far between. In general, try and avoid managers who were forced to let you go. If you do choose to use a person like this, know that they will be asked why you are no longer there
Do Use Professors, Side Job Managers, and Volunteer Coordinators – Sometimes, especially when starting out, you just don’t have a lot of professional contacts to use as references. Did you just complete school? Come off of a summer job? Volunteer for a nonprofit? These people have seen you in a workplace setting and even if it isn’t close to the type of role you might be applying for, this group is still better than family and friends. These people don’t have a vested interest in you as a person outside of work, so their opinions and reviews will be less biased and carry more weight.
Don’t use your current boss or co-workers – Sure, this group knows you the best, but in most cases this will be the group of people that aren’t great as references. If you are a good teammate and just looking for a better opportunity then they won’t want you to leave. If you aren’t a great teammate then they might just say so and give you a bad review. Either way, most people don’t advertise when looking for a new position, especially to the boss of their current position. Avoid if possible.
Communicate With Your Reference If You Know That They Will Be Contacted
If a recruiter has requested your references, often they will do so with an explanation or comment about reaching out to the people on the list.
In this case, it is a professional courtesy to let the people know that they might be contacted. Any information that other people have about what is coming can only help your cause.
All it requires is a simple message or phone call.
“Hey, friend! How are things? I just wanted to reach out and let you know that as we previous discussed I asked to use you as a reference when applying for CompanyABC. We are moving forward in the hiring process and they might be reaching out to you in the next week or so. I just wanted to give you a heads up here. Thanks!”
This is not rocket science and doesn’t need a novel written here.
This is basic communication 101. Your goal should be to set yourself up for success as much as possible. Communicating with someone up front is a polite thing to do that also means that they won’t be surprised by a reference request on a bad day and then want to vent by not giving you the glowing review that you need here.
Don’t Forget To Thank Your Reference
No matter how the process ends, one final thing to remember is to reach out and thank the person that took the time to help you out here.
This doesn’t need to be complicated or cost money. Sure, you always have the option of buying them lunch as a thank you or purchasing a small gift card to say thanks.
This might be a good opportunity to touch base over coffee or a few drinks to not only say thank you but to catch up.
Other times a phone call or email is enough. If you want a personal touch, write a brief thank you note.
The timing here is variable. You can reach out as soon as you know that they have been contacted.
However, you may want to wait until the overall process is complete. By doing so it allows you to relay the outcome of the opportunity.
Remember, this is all about maintaining relationships. People like to know that if they took the time, they were helping.
Even for a scenario where you didn’t get the job, knowing the resolution and that they did help your candidacy can make that person willing to do it again.
And if you didn’t get that specific job you may very well need to go through this whole process with them again.
At the end of the day, most people, myself included, don’t mind being a reference for someone else. Just know that nobody likes surprises during a busy day and a random, unsolicited, and surprise reference request dropped in someone’s inbox is probably not the best method to getting a good review.
Good luck in your search and
Thanks for reading!
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