IS THAT ME YOU'RE REFERRING TO?

• Author: Shane, Jeff
• Position: THE WORKPLACE

DO YOU KNOW what your references are saying about you when a potential employer contacts them for your employment information? Oftentimes, the information a reference provides is very different than what a former employee believes is being said.

A bad or even lukewarm reference can spell disaster for your professional career, which is why it is best to be proactive; a professional reference check not only can determine which people are your most positive references, it can help make sure that a potential employer never has a conversation like the ones below.

The following are actual responses to reference-checking questions posed by Allison & Taylor Inc.:

We would like to verify that_____held the position (title) from (dates), is this correct?

* "He was an account executive, not a Senior V.P."

* "His name doesn't ring a bell."

* "We do not have this person anywhere in our records."

* "I am not allowed to say anything about this person as he was fired."

Is this person eligible for rehire?

* "He is not. I'm really not supposed to say much, but he was unreliable and sick at lot."

* "Probably not--she had a hard time working in a team environment."

* "No, but I can't say why."

* "Probably not, but it's just a suspicion of mine."

* "No, because he didn't want to work here and made it clear he didn't want to work here."

* "I wouldn't rehire him. He was disorganized and dishonest."

* "No, it was the departure--kind of burned his bridges when he left."

* "No, she stole from the company. We have an investigation pending."

Could you fully describe the circumstances and reason for the separation?

* "She was fired."

* "She was let go--she didn't do her part as expected."

* "He was let go.... There was a conflict with the children--he didn't follow safety standards and guidelines."

* "I fired him! He and his buddy had some illegal things going."

* "She had been written up and she walked out on work... because she was upset."

* "It was a rather delicate and awkward situation. You should call her other past employers. I made the mistake of not doing that."

* "She was terminated in an investigation...." He then got very quiet and said he had General Couasel in his office and couldn't say anything more.

Rank this prior employee's skills from one (inadequate) to five (outstanding).

* Oral Communications: "Can I give a negative number? Negative one?"

* Financial Skills: "Well, that's why our company had a major layoff--left her in charge of finances!"

*...