After the job interview, prime your referees
Ask Kate Column: Prime your referees
I was contacted by email recently to provide a reference for a graduate who had done some work with me.
The candidate is an intelligent and diligent young woman and I was happy to say so but I was not at all happy with the email. It came from a recruiter with a long form attached requesting I fill it out. Like many people I barely have time to get through all the work I need to do in a day so I don’t have time to do someone else’s job for them.
I emailed back to let the recruiter know that the candidate was indeed outstanding and I would be happy to receive a phone call from her to provide the answers she needed to fill out her form. I never heard another word. I even followed up by phone but nothing. I take it they were happy with the information I provided.
It would have been far better had the graduate found out what the process was from the recruiter/employer and then approached me to ask if I would still vouch for her work and who what I might expect.
My advice to candidates is to “prime” your referees before a recruiter, HR manager, employer or anyone else contacts them to ask questions about you.
You should always let your referees know when you are going for a new job. Not only is it courteous to do so, but it also gives you an opportunity to prime your referee about the job you are going for. You want to make sure they have a clear memory of who you are. You don’t want your referee to sound surprised, vague or irritated when a potential employer telephones him or her to start asking questions about you.
It could be a couple of years since you have spoken to the people you list as referees. You need to have a brief conversation with them at the very least.
First up, make sure your referee is still contactable on the number once provided. Next, ask your referees what number he or she would prefer to be contacted on. Just know that whatever that number is the reference checker may have preferences of their own. For example, many reference checkers do not want to call a mobile phone number, as the “referee” could be anyone. They often want to go through a company switchboard so they can ask for the referee by name and verify the referee’s title before speaking to him or her. Even if you have the referee’s direct line and permission to provide it to a potential employer or recruitment consultant, still list the company switchboard number as well. Mention to your referees that they might be contacted in this way.
You should also make sure your referee is not about to go on holiday. Not knowing this detail makes you look sloppy and just irritates the reference checker when they call up only to find out the person is away. It could even cost you the job you are going for.
Finally brief your referees. Tell each person what you have been doing since you worked for them or with them. Tell your referees about the role you’re going for and how your work history with them is relevant to this new job. Don’t instruct your referee on what to say. However, remind your referee, if need be, of awards, projects and special achievements you earned while you worked with them. You worked hard for such recognition so don’t be shy. You are really doing everyone a favour by being thorough, so go for it.
Ask Kate, written by CareerOne.com.au Editor Kate Southam, is syndicated by News Limited newspapers around Australia.
