Elements of the job hunt continue to change dramatically — from interactive, Web-based resumes and social resumes such as your LinkedIn profile to video interviews using everyday tools such as Skype. Where is this especially true? Reference checking.
The days when you could offer one or two references for a potential employer to contact — references who would then simply confirm that you weren’t a thief or ax murderer? They are long gone. Same goes for using friends and fellow book club members.
[See: The 8 Stages of a Winning Job Search.]
Those kinds of references are no longer accepted or even realistically usable under any circumstances. What all these outdated ways of reference checking had in common was that they provided very little information to actually help employers determine whether you were good at your job or not, or what your strengths and weaknesses were.
That just doesn’t fly anymore. Today’s race for talent is pushing employers to seek out as much information as they can gather about candidates, so they can make the most informed hiring decisions possible. Done right, job references are central to this process.
Employers are increasingly recognizing the importance and value of references. Just look at all the businesses that now rely on the power of recommendations from others. From Angie’s List to TripAdvisor to Yelp, the world is more and more attuned to the power of the crowd-sourced peer reference.
Employers are now applying the lessons from these peer-driven platforms, with a technology twist, to job references. Instead of making a few phone calls, companies are using online platforms to request references from candidates and allow references to respond confidentially — so they can give more candid and therefore more useful feedback.
So what does this all mean for you? Here are the four biggest things to watch out for when it comes to navigating the brave new world of job references.
The behavior and actions of your references matter as much as what they say about you — and maybe even more. It’s true. Research done at SkillSurvey based on well over a dozen scientific studies shows that the speed with which references respond to employers combined with the feedback they provide is a direct indicator of a candidate’s performance on the job. In other words, references’ unspoken or slow-to-respond behaviors can carry a tremendous amount of weight.
[See: 10 Job Resolutions to Revitalize Your Career in 2016.]
This means that you need to make sure your references really grasp the importance of their role in your job hunt. They need to be ready to respond rapidly to an employer’s outreach. And the burden is on you to help them be prepared, responsive and thoughtful.
The best way to do this is to keep in touch with potential references. A quick note to check in, even if just once or twice a year, with prior colleagues and managers ensures that they stay up to date on your latest career moves. Then, when you’re actually applying for a job, it really pays off to reach out to your references in advance and check that they’re okay with you providing their name (and their email). When you do this, be sure to explain why you’re looking to make a move, and refresh their memory on what you’ve been up to lately. This can help immensely in making sure that they’re well-prepared when it comes time to provide feedback on you.
Be ready to share your references with a quick turnaround. The ten-year-old photocopied reference letter that you’ve been holding onto is as outdated as the typewriters on “Mad Men” (not to mention the smoking and drinking in the office). Employers are increasingly using online platforms to gather reference feedback quickly and confidentially. The turnaround time on these kinds of reference tools can be very fast. So in addition to ensuring that your job references are well-prepared to tell your story, make sure you are well-prepared to supply references in any form needed — on a piece of paper, via email or by inputting them through an online platform.
Get beyond the basics. Another consequence of employers’ growing interest in getting quality job reference feedback is the need to supply more than just a small handful of references. Employers want to talk to more people who have experience with candidates because they recognize that past performance is the single best predictor of future success. The emergence of online reference checking has also made it easier and more desirable for employers to request a higher number of references from candidates.
The traditional rule of thumb a decade or two ago was that you’d be in good shape with about three references. Now that number is closer to five. So think carefully about the kinds of former colleagues and managers you can turn to as job references and have a go-to list of even more than five — so you can avoid relying too heavily on too few supporters.
[See: 7 Common — and Costly — Cover Letter Mistakes.]
Create a smart network. Keep in mind that you don’t need to offer only managers and colleagues as references. Clients and customers can be great references too. This new element of referencing has grown especially fast on LinkedIn, where clients can post written — and often quite compelling — endorsements of people’s work.
You can take the same model and apply it to your select reference network. Pick out the clients and customers you’ve done especially good work for and who recognize it. They can be great references to add to your portfolio. But remember the advice from earlier — always be sure to check with potential references before providing their names. This avoids surprises and has the added benefit of ensuring that your references are well-prepared.
Don’t step fearfully into the brave new world of job references. By following these key tips, you can create a reference network that will go a long way to helping you succeed in your job search.
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How to Survive — and Thrive — in the Brave New World of Reference Checking originally appeared on usnews.com
