management not to offer additional comments and – out of self-interest – will usually not offer negative commentary again. If you’re unsure as to whether a negative reference is impacting your job seeking efforts, whom can you contact? Allison & Taylor Reference Checking , Inc., a reference checking service in business since 1984, will interview your reference(s) and document their input word-for-word. Approximately 50% of all reference checks conducted by Allison & Taylor Reference Checking uncover negative input from the reference; their report can be used for legal purposes or for the Cease-&-Desist letter described above. A negative reference is likely to continue offering the same input to every prospective employer that calls unless you detect it and take steps to stop it. Job seekers can lose many opportunities before they realize what is happening. It’s never too early to identify – and address – a negative job reference. CHAPTER 9 What Will A Past Employer Tell A Prospective Employer? Manage Your References – and Your Job Prospects – With These 10 Simple Steps So, you’ve completed the first round of interviews – and perhaps the second – with flying colors towards that cherished new job. At this point, a prospective employer will begin to check the quality of your references and recommendations from previous employers, and these recommendations can make or break your prospects. Have you done your due diligence in ensuring that they will be an asset, not an albatross, to your job application? Allison & Taylor Reference Checking Inc. , a professional reference-checking firm , reports that approximately 50% of the references they check receive an assessment of ‘mediocre’ to ‘poor’. This surprising statistic shows that it’s very possible that the great job you lost out on at the last moment had nothing to do with your lack of skills or being overqualified. it could have had more to do with what one of your references or past employers said about you. If you are concerned that someone, somewhere, might be giving you a less-than-stellar review, there’s a one-in-two chance that you’re right. That’s a frightening percentage when your livelihood is at stake. It’s in your best interest, therefore, to take control of your career momentum by finding out precisely what each of your potential references will say about you; then you can pass on your best references with greater confidence. Reference checking also provides the opportunity to prevent your negative references from offering up negative commentary about you. Here are ten winning ways to utilize your references: 1. Make a list of all your prospective references. Begin with the first job that is relevant in management of your career today; select those who have carefully observed your job performance. Your references need to have seen you in action, hopefully performing well in adverse conditions. But beware: whether you list them or not, many (if not all) of your past employers will be contacted. Be sure to gather all-important contact data about every potential reference, including: name, title, company, address, telephone/fax number, and e-mail address. (You may be asked to provide this data by a prospective employer.) Other individuals that may make useful references include colleagues, subordinates, suppliers and clients. 2. Narrow the list. After you have made your list of references, select those that you feel will be most willing to give you an excellent report. A typical list of references should include five to10 names, depending on the amount of experience a candidate has accumulated. 3. Contact each reference personally. Send each reference a note (visiting them personally, if possible, is even better) stating that you are seeking new employment and that you would like to use them as a reference. Be sure to share with them your current resume and let them know of the position you are applying for, as well as the type of qualities the
Resumes Win Interviews References Win Job Offers
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