• “She was terminated in an investigation...” (The reference then got very quiet and said he had General Council in his office and couldn’t say anything more.) 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!” • Written Communications: “You mean when she finally turned in the reports due a week earlier?” • Technical Skills: “Is zero in your rating scale?” • Interpersonal Relations: “One. He had a problem with a few of the people. I should have ended the relationship just after he started.” • Productivity: “Is there a rating less than inadequate? • Employee Relations: “There was a lot of he said/ she said happening with other employees. And other than her leaving, nothing else has changed. We haven’t had any problems since then, so we know she was the source of the problem.” • Decision Making: “He couldn’t make a decision if his life depended on it!” • Leadership: “He had no leadership skills.” • Crisis Management: “He [fireman] totally ignored the emergency call when it came in. He said he didn’t hear it!” • Short Term Planning: “Lousy, can’t remember something that was completed on time!” • Personal Integrity: “I don’t think she had any integrity.” It is not uncommon to contact a reference and find them hesitant, evasive or annoyed by the call. Sometimes tone of voice and inflection speak volumes – many express anger, shock, unhappiness or disbelief that they have been called regarding the employee. We are calling you as a reference regarding (the candidate). • “I do not care to comment at all. I let him go and that’s all I care to say!” • “Are you certain he gave you my name?” Allison & Taylor Reference Checking estimates that 50% of their references come back as “lukewarm” or “negative.” Don’t allow yourself to be surprised and sabotaged by an unfavorable reference. A simple reference check, conducted by a professional agency such as Allison & Taylor Reference Checking, can tell you definitively whether a reference is providing a positive, professional response to inquiries made about you. If they are not, you can take proactive steps to prevent this continued spread of negative information, and you may even have legal recourse. CHAPTER 5 Five Golden Rules of Job Reference Etiquette It makes good business sense – and respectful professional etiquette – to stay in touch with your former bosses, as your efforts to stay connected with past employers could pay dividends many times over when they provide you with favorable professional references. Given the ongoing upheaval in the nation’s job market, this timely advice comes from Heidi Allison, Managing Director of Allison & Taylor Reference Checking , the nation’s oldest professional reference checking firm. “If you were planning to hire someone and his or her former boss did not return your call looking for a professional reference, what message • Long Term Planning: “He wasn’t here long enough to rate him.” • Overall Performance: “Inadequate would be a positive word for him!” • Managerial Skills: “He couldn’t manage a group of children!” • “I cannot believe you were given my name as a reference.” • “Hold on, let me get the legal file to see what I can say.” • “Never heard of him!” • “I’m surprised she even listed us on her work references.”
Resumes Win Interviews References Win Job Offers
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