Reference Check, Please
Some candidates may assume reference checks are just about confirming where they worked and when they worked there, but a new survey from the staffing firm Office Team suggests that employers see things differently.
The survey of found that the most common reason for talking to references is to find out about the candidate's duties and experience at the previous job, with 36 percent of those surveyed selecting that option. Nearly as many, 31 percent, said a conversation with a reference tells them about an individual's strengths and weaknesses.
Just 11 percent said they're looking mostly for a confirmation of the potential employee's job title and dates of employment.
And references aren't just about double-checking a candidate who already has the position wrapped up. The survey found that managers remove 21 percent of candidates from consideration after talking to a reference.
The survey included phone interviews with more than 1,000 senior managers and companies with 20 or more employees.
For job candidates, Office Team said, it's important to have a strong strategy concerning references. That means choosing contacts who can talk about your abilities and strengths, checking in with them beforehand to make sure they're up for being called, providing potential employers with good contact information and thanking the people who agree to serve as references.
Click here for more on the survey.
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