Things to Think About When Choosing a Referee
McLaren Recruitment
As a specialist recruitment and HR consulting company we pride ourselves on delivering results, not surprises.
So you have been asked to provide your referee’s contact details? That’s great news!
It’s not a done deal yet, but at least it means the employer is seriously considering you for the role and is now completing the formalities to back up the good impression you have made with your application and interview.
Choosing the right referees who can vouch for your suitability for the role you are being considered for is crucial. So what do you need to know before handing over those contact details? We conduct reference checks at all levels on a regular basis, so let us help guide you through:
Recent: While there’s no doubt you were a fantastic employee at that job 15 years ago, the ability of your former manager to properly comment on your suitability is going to diminish as the years go by. We recommend using referees from your most recent positions. In many cases you will be asked for specific referees anyway, but if not, try to keep them as recent as possible.
Relevant: Say you are being considered for an Executive Assistant position, your referee from that time you helped out on an orchard is probably not going to be able to speak to your diary management or office administration abilities. In the same vein, a colleague is not going to be able to give the same view as someone you reported to and had oversight of your ability to meet KPIs. Make sure your referees are relevant for the role you are going for.
Informed: There’s nothing worse than calling a referee to discuss a candidate, only to catch them completely off guard and worse still, totally unaware they had been listed as a referee! Your referees are meant to be your champions, but they can’t do that if they don’t know anything about the job you are being referenced for. If possible, give them a copy of the position description so they can start thinking about how you might fit into the role.
Consent: It goes without saying, but you need to get their permission first before using someone as your referee! Don’t put yourself in the awkward spot of having your manager called to give a reference when they didn’t even know you were looking at other jobs! Also keep in mind that a typical reference check can take around 15 to 30 minutes, so it’s a good idea to find out if there is a particular time or day that suits them best and communicate that with whoever is conducting the checks.
Appropriate: When conducting reference checks, we always try to speak with a minimum of two people that you have reported to – typically your current manager and a previous one. Your friends no doubt think you are great, but they are not suitable when it comes to giving a work reference. A friend may have the best intentions when they talk up your amazingness, but the purpose of the reference is to judge your suitability for the job and organisation in question, meaning they could be setting you up to fail if their praise is a little over enthusiastic. Also a word of warning – we do verify referee details. Getting a friend to ‘pretend’ to be your manager is going to be uncovered!
What to do if you don’t have a good referee?
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9 个月Such wise advice here