You have the interview for the customer service job of your dreams. Everything is going great and you think you have the job nailed. You give the interview your job references, shake their hand and go home to wait for their call..and wait..and wait. What happened? You have been side swiped by a bad or indifferent job reference. How do you prevent or fix a situation like this?
First of all, make sure your references know you listed them. If they know and are prepared to answer any questions about you, then it won’t catch them off guard. Coach your references to make sure you both agree on what will be said if a prospective employer calls. Be sure they know your key achievements and highlights of your resume. Some of the questions that may be asked are the start and end date of employment, your reason for leaving, your work ethic, what your communication skills are like. The prospective employer may ask if you’re a team player and what your general strengths and weaknesses are. Make sure your references know the answer to these questions.
Second, be sure that your references return any calls promptly. If your reference missed the call and then never bothered to return it, it can make you look bad. If they don’t respond quickly it can hurt your creditability. Make sure the reference numbers are correct to begin with. Ask your references if they prefer their cell phone number, office or home number listed on the application.
Third, although it is true that companies can’t give a negative report about a former employee, there are ways around that. Sometimes it’s not what’s said but how it is said. If the tone of voice has a negative tone or there is an unwillingness to answer a question, that can say it all without anything further being said. What can you do in a situation like this? If the problem is a former boss, you could try to resolve any issues that you have with them. If this doesn’t work, you can hire a reference-checking company to check your references. This type of company will check your reference discreetly and give you a report that covers what was said and how it was said. If there is slander involved, contact a lawyer. If the report is accurate, then you’ll have to do damage control. Work on areas that are a struggle. Improve your skills by taking a class. If your skills are improved then you can offset the bad reference by telling the interviewer how you’ve taken the steps to improve yourself. They’re bound to be impressed.
With common sense and a little work, you can clean up your references and get the job of your dreams!
If you’ve had this issue, I’d like to hear about it. Comments are always welcome.
By Linda Lee Ruzicka
Linda Lee Ruzicka lives in the mountains of Western PA , happily married and with her 6 cats and three dogs. She has been published in Twilight Times, Dark Krypt, Fables, Decending Darkness, Writing Village, June Cotner anthology, The Grit, Reminisce , the book, Haunted Encounters: Friends and Family. She is an Affiliate member of the Horror Writers Association. She also does freelance work for Beyond and for CSJobs.com. More of her blogs can be found at CSJobsblog.com.
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