References are gold. You can expect to hold ten or more jobs between college graduation and retirement, and that means that you’re likely to be asking references to vouch for you a lot over the duration of your career. Keeping track of your references and staying in a relationship with them for the long haul isn’t just good networking, it’s just about a necessity for getting hired in the future.
Why? Positive reference checks reinforce the hiring manager’s decision to go with you — they can also help make companies more excited about closing the deal, and that can result in a bump in your offer.
Recently, we conducted a reference check for a top candidate who had all his ducks in a row and who clearly had a great relationship with his former boss. The reference told us exactly why the job in question was the perfect next step in that candidate’s career: she talked about all the ways the candidate had excelled in his previous role. Your goal as a job hunter isn’t to just “phone it in” when it comes to reference checks: you should over-deliver.
When you start compiling your references, keep in mind that it always takes longer than you think to get good ones lined up. Whether you’re applying to a gig from The Hired Guns — or just about any job anywhere, for that matter — it’s critical that you have all your references prepared well ahead of time (i.e., before you start looking).
Always ask, never assume. When you ask someone to be your reference, his or her personal brand and reputation is tied to yours. Reference checks can be time-consuming for the people being interviewed — remember that they have a life, job and responsibilities too. The people who serve as your references should be true advocates who will go out of their way for you. And you should ask permission, over the phone or in person, every time. Email exchanges do not express nuance!
Start before you begin your search. If you’ve been out of the job hunt for a while, be sure to have conversations with your inner circle of references at the outset of your search. First off, these folks know you best; not only can they give great career guidance, they may actually know of new opportunities within their own networks or even at their own company. There have been countless times when I’ve conducted a reference check and a former boss said that he wished he’d known that so-and-so was looking: he’d have hired him again on the spot.
Strike while the iron’s hot. The best way to build your bank of references is to ask for them when you’re on your way out of a company. Look the person in the eye and see if there is any hesitation. Do they pat you on the back and say “Of course”? Then you’re good. This is the best time to ask if they would either A) write you a reference letter or B) give you a recommendation on LinkedIn. If you sense any hesitation without explanation, you may need to find another reference.
Do the debrief. If a reference hasn’t been properly briefed, and if he or she comes across as vague or less than enthusiastic, it could stop the hiring process in its tracks. I’ve seen more than my fair share of candidates — including seasoned and talented people who should know better — have their dream jobs yanked for this very reason.
Don’t let this happen to you. First, email your reference and ask permission for 15 minutes of their time to explain the role and why you’re right for it. When you speak with them, be sure to tell them which them about what aspects of your background and projects you worked on together that they should emphasize during the reference check.
If you don’t prep your references ahead of time, they may act as if they don’t remember you that well, and they may blurt out something weird. Or they might be on vacation in Borneo for two weeks and be pretty much unreachable . . . (this really happened).
Bosses trump colleagues. At reference-check time, you don’t want to throw up any unnecessary red flags. You will typically need at least three references. At least two of those should be people you directly reported to in a recent position. Freelancers, you should include the key decision-maker on the project that you ran.
The references you choose should be able to underscore the reasons why you’ll excel at the new job by giving examples of your past accomplishments. Many of us work in matrix organizations, so it’s cool to have a colleague or two, but you still need bosses. And if you’re being hired into a management role, it might be good to include at least someone who reported to you — someone who can talk to your mentorship and leadership abilities.
The devil’s in the details. What do we or the hiring manager need from you in order to get the reference check moving quickly?
For each of your references, you should have his or her
- Name
- Title (the current one and the one they had when you worked with them)
- Company (the current one and the one where you worked together)
- Phone at work
- Mobile number
- Email at work (or a personal one if the reference would prefer to use that)
- Best times to reach them, and any information around availability
- A short paragraph explaining how you worked together and the key accomplishments and projects that are particularly relevant to the job you want to get.
Another tip: put all this info into your phone or in an email. That way, if you need to check in on a ref or provide the info again on a moment’s notice, there won’t be any unnecessary delay.
Get the play-by-play. Ask your references to let you know when they’ve been contacted. You can use this to get the inside skinny about how excited the hiring manager is, and if any unusual concerns came up. Trust me, those concerns will come up at negotiation time — if you get there.
Turnaround = fair play. When you land your new job, thank the folks who took the time to serve as your references with a simple gift (like a high-end notebook or a bottle of wine). You may also want to help keep your relationship on track by taking a reference out to lunch and asking how you can help his or her career!
As I mentioned above, reference checks are something you’re likely to experience not just once or twice but repeatedly, throughout your entire career. With these tips, you’ll be in good shape for your next job and the ones after that. You’ll also be in a good position to be help those co-workers and colleagues you value most.
[Photo of office tower: Joshua Davis/Flickr]
