Sunday, February 13, 2011
Reference Roundup
Calling numbers from your Rolodex to find out who remembers you is mentally exhausting. A couple of the people I thought I got along with very well and would surely remember me - didn't. One says he remembers doing an awful lot of business with us and promised to give a good reference since he remembers the company well, but he doesn't specifically remember me. I really want to use him since I listed as an accomplishment that I grew an account (his) that was originally supposed to have 1 or 2 shipments a month to $6 million annually. That reminds me...the salesrep for that account is my FB friend. I need to send her a message.
Another doesn't remember me at all but also told me to use him as a reference and he'll say something good. Really? This guy has a reputation for being difficult to work with, but for some reason he used to like me. If I could score a good reference from him, that would be fantastic. I think I need to follow the video's advice and have someone pose as a recruiter to verify what he'll say.
The book I'm using, Knock 'Em Dead 2005 (I've ordered the 2011 version from Amazon) says: "Keep an open mind when developing those lists. You never know who your friends are. You will be surprised at how someone you always regarded as a real pal won't give you the time of day, and how someone you never thought of as a friend will go above and beyond the call of duty for you." That has proved very true. Someone I thought didn't much care for me sent a whole list of job search sites, and a couple of people I thought would be great references are ignoring me. Oh, well. That's life. I'll keep calling because you never know where the next lead will come from.
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10 comments:
nice. i know this from my job hunt...ugh...best wishes...
Good luck Jen, I used to work at GE and we never gave references to anyone, sad really but that was their policy.....:-)Hugs
Jen stick to the truth, keep on looking, do not put as a reference someone who doesn't know you and is willing to lie..think too of your people who may not have been employers but team members, that' usually a great reference if you were a good team member...and no matter how tempting never speak negatively of your co- workers or old boss, if they ask you to please tell of a time when you didn't get along with....whoever, you can explain but ensure the ending is positive,like 'i use to have this co-worker that didn't pull his- her weight, and I didnt' want to cause him prolblem so I asked for a meeting for him, and he apologized he had been under pressure from someone or something...that had him unable to concentrate but he worked on it and the situation righted itself....just an example....never leave a negative without a positive and good luck with your references...remember that often checking references is a tool used for screening a candidate don't leave it to chance...
I am often called to give references and appreciate being called in advance by the person using me as a reference. From experience, I prefer not to be a reference for former employees--even if I really like them, you can easily find yourself being asked questions that may be confidential. Good luck.
Some companies only confirm dates you were employed. I think it's because they're afraid they'll get sued. Benefits those that were fired, hurts those of us that were let go through no fault of our own.
With the one guy, I think it's just a matter of refreshing his memory. The other I don't trust.
More people are getting back to me, so I should have plenty of references.
i so do not like the search for work. In the remodeling trade, it is a constant.
popped over from my dreamodeling! post where you commented.
i left a response, but forgot to include thanks for the feeback and stopping by!
Bruce
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If you're unsure what type of reference someone will give you -- or even if they will (regardless of what they SAY they will do)-- you should consider asking them to write a "To Whom It May Concern" generic reference letter to send to you to attach to your resume. I highly recommend this course of transparency, as opposed to having someone contact them, pretending to be a recruiter. If they fail to respond -- or the resulting letter is not helpful -- you can move on to Plan B, with no damage done.
That's interesting that people you might not expect to help you could possibly help you more than those you may have expected it from.
I know this must be stressful for you. I hope it's all over soon!
Wow !! really nice blog. It will be very useful for me. So, thanks for sharing this post.
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