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September 17, 2001 A bad reference can block a job offer and even sidetrack a career. But it isn't always so clear how much guidance you should give someone willing to speak on your behalf. "I just basically spoon-feed [references] the information that I think is necessary," says a research analyst for a Boston financial-services firm. "I'll give them ideas and examples. I won't phrase the words. It's not making stuff up." The 26-year-old analyst also drafted business-school recommendation letters for his references. When you make references' assignment easier, he believes, "they're going to give you a better reference." Others have qualms about giving references too much guidance, however. "I wouldn't coach somebody because I would feel that I'd be putting words into their mouth," says Laura Zirinsky, a 34-year-old New York resident. Currently enrolled in an evening master's program in strategic communications, she is looking for a full-time corporate communications position. She only tells references what a prospective employer seeks. Most career experts agree with her approach. They advise job seekers to inform their references -- but to a limited degree. "You need to tell them what the position is, what company it's for and give them a thumbnail sketch about the job and its responsibilities," says Smooch Reynolds, president and chief executive of Repovich-Reynolds Group, a Pasadena, Calif., executive-search firm. She recommends that candidates supply references with their résumé and review major points that a hiring manager or recruiter might cover. A typical achievement claimed by job seekers on a résumé is that they significantly increased their latest employer's growth, she says. Your references had "better be able to back that up." References need to be told that they will get tough questions about an applicant's weaknesses, too, says Cynthia Palka, a human-resources consultant and recruiter in Endicott, N.Y. Warn your references to expect questions about your ability to handle stressful work situations related to your new work environment, she says. Be sure your reference knows why you left a previous employer and how to positively describe difficult circumstances surrounding your departure. Ms. Zirinsky says it "took a little delicacy on my part" to find references willing to describe her experience at a company she quit last year. Rather than ask her former boss, she used a colleague and a former client who knew how hard she had worked there. Ms. Reynolds advises job seekers to also offer references insights
about a prospective employer's culture -- without being so specific
"that you write a script for them." Indeed, a reference
who provides canned answers is only slightly less harmful than the
reference who can't remember you, experts say. "The most important thing to remember about references is that these people are doing you a favor," says Mr. Parrillo. That is another good reason to divulge references as late in the hiring process as possible. "You should try to have that reference called only one time," he says. By Kris Maher |
