Many people discover the error of their assumptions the hard way – by losing out on the perfect job because of reference issues. Check your own references before you provide them to employers to ensure you can address potential problems before they cost you the job. CHAPTER 56 I Thought They Weren’t Allowed To Say That? “Never Assume” that your former employer won’t speak negatively of you – Actual Quotes From Former Employers If you’re like most job seekers, your understanding is that your former employers are only allowed to confirm your previous employment dates and title. Certainly they cannot, and will not, offer negative commentary about you as it would While it’s true that many companies do have reference policies in place that prohibit them from giving out anything but limited, prescribed information, many do not, says Allison & Taylor Reference Checking. Additionally, even companies with reference policies in place cannot ensure that their employees will necessarily abide by such rules. As a consequence, while countless job hunters feel secure in the idea that a former employer will only provide their position title and dates of employment, there’s a very good chance that former employers may offer considerably more than this - including unfavorable commentary that may ensure you’re not hired again anytime soon. Here are some actual examples of reference responses documented by Allison & Taylor Reference Checking: We would like to verify that (the candidate) held the position (title) from (dates), is this correct? • “He was an account executive, not a Senior V.P.” • “His name doesn’t ring a bell.” • “I am not allowed to say anything about this person as they were fired.” Some references will refuse to rank a past employee due to an unfavorable impression: • “No comment – they could not do anything correctly in the position they held with us.” • “Let’s save time. Basically, you could rank them inadequate in all areas.” When questioned about strengths and weaknesses: • “I cannot think of any strengths, only weaknesses.” • “Weaknesses seem to stick in my mind … I’d have to really think about any strengths.” • “I’d rather not comment – you can take that however you want.” Regarding Eligibility for re-hire: Is this person eligible for re-hire? • “He is not. I’m really not supposed to say much but he was unreliable and sick at lot.” • “No, but I can’t say why.” • “No, it was the departure – kind of burned his bridges when he left.” • “No, she stole from the company. We have an investigation pending.” When asked about the reason for employment separation: Could you fully describe the circumstances and reason for the separation? • “She was fired.” • “She was let go – she didn’t do her part as expected.” • “I fired him! He and his buddy had some illegal things going.” • “It was a rather delicate and awkward situation. You should call her other past employers. I made the mistake of not doing that.” Responses to questions about performance: References are asked to rank skills on a scale from 1(inadequate) to 5 (outstanding): • Oral Communications: “Can I give a negative number … -1”? • Financial Skills: “Well, that’s why our company had a major layoff – left her in charge of finances!” be a violation of corporate policy and (perhaps) be illegal as well. If this were your assumption, you would do well to think again.
Resumes Win Interviews References Win Job Offers
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