So you’re down to the final two and your future employer is about to do a reference check on you before making an offer.This could be the make or break time for you especially if there is a fine line between yourself and the other candidate. Your future employer will most likely use the reference checks in making their final decision.
Based on our bad experiences when calling referees, we have put together a few handy tips which draws upon the traditional Japanese Golden Rule “see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil” to make this next step a success.
See No Evil
Presenting your referees upfront may work as a disadvantage to your application. The best way to ensure yourself and your future employer sees no evil is by following these two easy steps:
- Avoid listing your referees – feel free to leave this blank or write “referees available upon request” on your resume. This will give you more control over when your referees are contacted to ensure they are aware, prepared and available.
- Number of referees – people are often unsure of how many referees to give employers. It is best to give three referees. Although they may not all be contacted, it is best to give them a range of options.
Hear No Evil
The last thing you want to hear is negative feedback. These kinds of responses could be triggered by a number of contributing factors such as a lack of preparation, shock or simply a bad relationship. In order to hear no evil we recommend you:
- Notify your referees –there is nothing worse than calling a referee who responds with “are you sure they put me down as a referee?” Make sure your referees are aware that they are listed and that they will be contacted. Provide them with as much background information about the role as possible.
- Choose the right referees –choose referees that you have worked closely with and preferably well together. That person should be senior to you and can vouch first hand about your work style and attributes.
Speak No Evil
During the recruitment process it can be tempting to exaggerate your responses to enhance your profile to better your chances of securing the position. To ensure you speak no evil remember the following:
- Don’t lie – never stretch the truth or lie about your duties or salary in your interviews. Employers can often tell when a person is lying as their will be discrepancies in the reference check.
- Don’t encourage your referees to embellish – discrepancies will arise if you try to get your referee to embellish your experience and this will be damaging to your application and name as a candidate.