to inquiries. If your reference is no longer there, a reference checker may end up with someone who won’t cast you in such a positive light. 5. Your resume information may not reflect their HR records. Beware a scenario where your former employer has different employment dates, position title, or supervisor listed than what you have presented. This type of discrepancy might suggest to a new employer that you are being less than truthful about your former position’s title or responsibilities. 6. You may have been omitted from the HR records entirely. This can occur in the case of mergers, where not all records make the transfer into a new system. It is also not uncommon with the self-employed; many companies do not hold records for a contractor in their HR system. It will reflect poorly on you when an employer calls and is told that there is no record of you ever having worked for their company. Fortunately, reference-checking organizations such as Allison & Taylor Reference Checking can quickly and easily help you verify exactly what your former employers will say about you. In the event that any “unpleasant surprises” are revealed, be aware there are tools likely to ensure that a reference problem is successfully addressed. Again, the first step is to find out what your previous employers are really saying – the career you save, may be your own. CHAPTER 68 My Reference Said WHAT? Don’t Assume That a Former Employer Will Avoid Negative Comments- You Won’t Believe These Actual Quotes from Former Employers Most job seekers are under the impression that former employers are only allowed to confirm an employee’s job title and previous employment dates. They certainly cannot offer a negative commentary about you… it would be a violation of corporate policy and (perhaps) be illegal as well. Right? Unfortunately, that’s an incorrect and potentially career-destroying assumption. While it’s true that many companies do have reference policies in place that prohibit them from giving out anything but limited, company-approved information, that’s not true across the board, says Allison & Taylor Reference Checking . Additionally, even companies with strong reference policies in place cannot guarantee that their employees will abide by the rules. So, while you may feel sure that a former employer will only provide your position title and dates of employment, there’s still a very good chance that a former employer may offer information that will effectively ruin your chances of getting that new job. 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.”
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