A reference, as defined by dictionary.com is a “person to who one refers for testimony as to one’s character, abilities, etc.”.   Most employers will ask you for a list of your professional references if they are going to consider you for a job.  If your credit isn’t great or well established you will usually be asked to provide them in order to get a loan, open a checking account or buy a car.  Businesses request them during the vendor selection process.  Homeowners ask for them before using a contractor to perform work.  Parents want them before hiring a babysitter.  And whole websites like Yelp and Angies List exist to provide them.

With so many of our decisions in life and business dependent upon references I can’t believe that candidates aren’t asking employers for their references before accepting a job offer.  

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Penny Horton | August 29, 2018

Employers want a list of your references before they extend you a job for a few reasons.

First, they want to confirm the accuracy of the information you have provided on your resume and during your interview.

Second, they want to learn as much as they can about you, including others’ perspectives, in the hopes of better knowing what kind of employee you will be.  I mean, the time they have spent with you before they make a hiring decision is actually pretty short so they need all the help they can get.

And lastly, they want to feel confident that they have tried to uncover any potential reasons they shouldn’t hire you.  After all, hiring the right employee is an important decision and getting it wrong can be a costly mistake.

And while employer’s assume that you will only give out contact information for individuals that will say positive things about you, they will at least feel better about their decision if they can feel like they have dotted all of their I’s and crossed all of their T’s.

On the flip side of that, as a potential employee, shouldn’t you be trying to confirm they same kinds of information about the employer that they try to confirm about you as a candidate?

I mean, the time you have spent with them is relatively short and you will have only had limited interactions with members of the interview team.

Shouldn’t you want to confirm the accuracy of the information they have told you about what it’s like to work there and what your job will entail?

Don’t you want to learn as much about them as possible, from others’ perspectives?

Shouldn’t you try to uncover any potential reason that you shouldn’t work for them or your potential boss?

Accepting a job offer is an important decision and getting it wrong can be a costly mistake, potentially both financially and emotionally.  Wouldn’t you feel better about your decision if you felt like you had dotted all of your I’s and crossed all of your T’s?

So why aren’t candidates asking for references of their potential employers?  Let’s start this revolution.

#employerreferencerevolution

And while I know there are websites like Glassdoor, Indeed, CareerBliss and Fairygodboss that allow job seekers the opportunity to read anonymous reviews about companies, I just don’t think its the same as doing a reference check. I think its very different for a number of reasons.

I think speaking with an actual person and asking them the specific questions about what you want to know is much more telling than reading an anonymous review.  A conversation allows you to ask probing questions and seek clarification.

There is also some protection that providing an anonymous review online affords you that isn’t there when you are having a conversation.

There is also the potential for the online reviews to be skewed, particularly if only unhappy employees or former employees are the ones posting the reviews.

In my opinion I also think anonymous reviews lack credibility.

Employers should be at the ready to provide their candidates with current and former employee references.

In fact, how awesome would it be if during the final phases of the candidate selection process an employer proactively provided its top candidate the opportunity to meet with those references as part of the process!  As a candidate I would be overly impressed by the company’s efforts to help me make an informed decision about my longterm career and success.

Who’s with me on this employer reference revolution?!  I would love to hear your thoughts.

Post a comment, send me a message or tweet me using #employerreferencerevolution to let me know what you think!