References

More and more companies are doing reference checks these days, and it’s a cause of nervousness for some. Still, you should not be too worried about this.

For one thing, companies will generally not contact your references until they are ready to extend an offer. So your references won’t be bothered until the very last stage.

One exception is if recruiters ask for references up front. They have no business doing this, and often they do it to go fishing for new candidates and leads. In those cases you can simply tell them that you can provide references when you get to the offer stage.

Another thing to keep in mind is that reference checking is in most cases a mere formality. Companies do it just to cover their behinds (aka “Due Diligence”), and will usually ask very little of substance to the reference they’re contacting. They might ask how they know the candidate, the candidate’s dates of employment, etc. But if they try to ask about the candidate’s performance, most companies will stonewall the questioner out for fear of liability. In fact, many companies have a policy of referring reference requests directly to HR, who will in turn only confirm things like dates of employment.

So if you are asked for references, who can you turn to? Obviously you wouldn’t want to ask your current boss (although I’ve actually heard of that happening, believe it or not). I’d instead recommend looking to a trusted colleague, or else seeking out a boss from a previous job, one you’re still on good terms with. Generally the hiring companies will not accept your brother, pastor, or drinking buddy as legitimate references – how annoying.