Calling references after an interview

[AFireInside]

Thought some out there may have a reasonable answer to this question.

I did not have an interview, this involved a family member.

I'll try and be brief.
Job interviews for a position were scheduled for a Friday, running about an hour each until the end of the day Friday. The applicants were told they would be contacted on Monday.

Doesn't this leave very very little time to contact references? Do employers even call references these days? With interviews going until the end of the day Friday, it wouldn't be very easy to reach the references on a Friday at 4:30, so I'm assuming they will call first thing Monday morning..

I don't recall any of my references ever telling me they were contacted when I was hired at my job.....

The job posting closed very recently, so there haven't been ongoing interviews, just one day of interviews as far as we can tell.

[marsplasticeraser]

Some employers call references, some don't.

Personally, I call for every single job I fill (FYI - I'm in a private company and not in HR). I usually call references for the top 3 candidates to get a better feel for their performance. The results are:

Bad References - 50%
10% - Reference does not recommend person
20% - References didn't supervise / unfamiliar with persons job (work friends - not refernces)
10% - Reference suspicious - doesn't know what projects person worked on or job title (person likely has no real references)
10% - Unable to reach any references (and candidate doesn't have any more)


Good References - 50%
50% - Reference enthusiastic, knowledgeable and trusted

This means that out of my top 3, usually 1-2 make are removed by checking references. Put otherwise, I remove half of the dud hires I would have done without checking references, therefore teams are more highly talented and better fits.

Personally, with so many jobs right now, I'd be very cautious about a company that doesn't do reference checks. It likely means you'll be working with a lot of marginal talent.

[GreatWhiteEbola]

I have been a reference for people, I have been contacted on every occasion.

[Cheese]

Originally Posted by marsplasticeraser

Some employers call references, some don't.

Personally, I call for every single job I fill (FYI - I'm in a private company and not in HR). I usually call references for the top 3 candidates to get a better feel for their performance. The results are:

Bad References - 50%
10% - Reference does not recommend person
20% - References didn't supervise / unfamiliar with persons job (work friends - not refernces)
10% - Reference suspicious - doesn't know what projects person worked on or job title (person likely has no real references)
10% - Unable to reach any references (and candidate doesn't have any more)


Good References - 50%
50% - Reference enthusiastic, knowledgeable and trusted

This means that out of my top 3, usually 1-2 make are removed by checking references. Put otherwise, I remove half of the dud hires I would have done without checking references, therefore teams are more highly talented and better fits.

Personally, with so many jobs right now, I'd be very cautious about a company that doesn't do reference checks. It likely means you'll be working with a lot of marginal talent.

Agree with this 100%. I ask for 2 personal and 3 business references and call every one of them. You'd be surprised how many negative references are given on the personal side as well. At times I'm flabbergasted at why a possible hire would even give the references they do.
I have also been contacted many times as a reference for others.

[rubecube]

Originally Posted by Cheese

Agree with this 100%. I ask for 2 personal and 3 business references and call every one of them. You'd be surprised how many negative references are given on the personal side as well. At times I'm flabbergasted at why a possible hire would even give the references they do.
I have also been contacted many times as a reference for others.

That's bizarre. I have about 10 people who I've relied on in the past for business references. Some of them are no longer with the one of the companies I used to work for and I don't have their contact info anymore, so I don't include them in my references. I also made sure to ask every single one of the people on my reference list if they would give me a reference, and I usually give them a heads up when I think someone might be calling them.

I just couldn't imagine taking a complete shot in the dark with my references.

[Cheese]

Originally Posted by rubecube

That's bizarre. I have about 10 people who I've relied on in the past for business references. Some of them are no longer with the one of the companies I used to work for and I don't have their contact info anymore, so I don't include them in my references. I also made sure to ask every single one of the people on my reference list if they would give me a reference, and I usually give them a heads up when I think someone might be calling them.

I just couldn't imagine taking a complete shot in the dark with my references.

as the previous poster suggested...it really is 50-50. Im the same as you, I ENSURE I contact all of my refs before I even put them on the list. Youd be surprised at how many dont even give that common courtesy.

[AFireInside]

Thanks for the replies everyone.

As I said this was not MY interview.

As for not doing reference checks, this is a case where the company is very good. It's very difficult to get on with this company when people get a position they rarely leave, so just getting an interview is a good sign.

The posting closed, and a day of interviews were set up within days (on a Friday). Then applicants were told they would be contacted on Monday. This just doesn't leave any time to contact references.

[Svartsengi]

Another possible answer is there is a very strong internal candidate for the position. They will hire them Monday and tell everyone else thank you for your interest we will keep your resume on file for six months.

[RedHot25]

Originally Posted by Svartsengi

Another possible answer is there is a very strong internal candidate for the position. They will hire them Monday and tell everyone else thank you for your interest we will keep your resume on file for six months.

Yes, this likely could be the case. Or, although not nearly as likely, someone in the interview process could have also blown everybody else out of the water and they feel comfortable with him/her.

[CaptainCrunch]

For the most part because of privacy rules and possibility of litigation references for the most part are only obligated to confirm employment, they're not really allowed to say anything negative about a person.

Most companies satisfy themselves with searching for mentions of a candidate online. Thats right, suddenly facebook and myspace and twitter are becoming pretty powerful tools for HR departments.

I don't really trust references, I will ask a candidate if they mind me calling some of the companies on their resume and who they reported to. Most people don't have a problem with it. But if someone gets nervous or declines I have to ask more questions about why.

Let me put it this way.

The last company I was at has no one left that I reported to and massive turnover on the HR side.

The company before that is out of business.

The company before that was about 8 years ago, they're probably going to know very little about me.

So references to the last three are useless besides a possible confirmation of work.

[Pinner]

People generally seek a new jobs because they are not happy at their current job and weren't happy at their previous jobs, so wouldn't that in itself make getting a good reference more difficult ?

[CaptainCrunch]

Depends on if they're still working there or not.

References are fairly worthless in themselves because the interviewee is submitting them. For all you know your talking to his or her mother.

Companies are getting more value out of googling a persons name.

Plus companies are getting hesitant to give references because of the possibility that your negative reference will cost someone a job which could end up in front of the courts.

[FurnaceFace]

If it's a high quality company by "contacting people" could they simply mean contacting them for a future discussion? I think for most positions it's rare these days for all but maybe entry level to have a single interview and be done. Any place I've been the interviewer/ee it's never been a single interview to hire.

I can see making the initial cut based on the interviews and then contacting references of those who make the cut and calling people back. Also "contact on Monday" doesn't mean Monday at 9am. They have time to try and contact references during the day.

For references I ensure I've prepped my references. I put together a 2 pager with what I feel are my important traits along with examples from projects/work I've done in the past. I also include what I feel I need to improve on (assuming that gets asked). This way the reference has something to work from in answering questions and it'll help match what you said.

[Thor]

Do strippers have to give references when trying to get a new job?

[Pinner]

Originally Posted by FurnaceFace

For references I ensure I've prepped my references. I put together a 2 pager with what I feel are my important traits along with examples from projects/work I've done in the past. I also include what I feel I need to improve on (assuming that gets asked). This way the reference has something to work from in answering questions and it'll help match what you said.

Do you also pay them or are they family ?

[Pinner]

Originally Posted by Thor

Do strippers have to give references when trying to get a new job?

They try out.

[FurnaceFace]

Originally Posted by Pinner

Do you also pay them or are they family ?

They are all professional references, typically either managers I've had in the past or fellow project managers. They are free to say what they want but if I haven't worked for them for a couple of years giving them a synopsis of my skills and what projects we worked on really helps them frame their comments. As I think Mars and Cheese said there are a number of references who are poor. Having called references it's clear when the referrer has no clue what to say and just stammers some generic crap. Having good solid references who can give the company some real detail helps differential you from the crowd. At the very least it shows you're taking all aspects of the interview seriously which speaks to attention to detail at the very least.

[CaramonLS]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

Depends on if they're still working there or not.

References are fairly worthless in themselves because the interviewee is submitting them. For all you know your talking to his or her mother.

Companies are getting more value out of googling a persons name.

Plus companies are getting hesitant to give references because of the possibility that your negative reference will cost someone a job which could end up in front of the courts.

Not always true - when calling a previous direct supervisor, sometimes it is what they don't say vs. what they do say.

There are a couple times where a previous manager has told me "I really shouldn't talk about it", which pretty much seals the deal IMHO. Or even asking "Would you rehire this person?" usually gets you an appropriate answer.

If a person hesitates, I'll usually ask "Would I be making a good decision if I didn't hire this person?". I get an answer most of the time to that question.

[Drury18]

Having been through a situation where a previous employer told me to my face they would give me a great recommendation only to be called by the prospective employer later asking if I was aware the company claims I never worked there is a big reason why I only deal in Reference Letters. You know the content of the letter, you can interview to reinforce what has been written about you and it's easier to give to prospective employers who are making decisions.

It's also handy if many of your former Employers have relocated out of the province or the country or are the type where their numbers or positions are changing frequently.

[Flame Of Liberty]

Originally Posted by CaramonLS

Not always true - when calling a previous direct supervisor, sometimes it is what they don't say vs. what they do say.

There are a couple times where a previous manager has told me "I really shouldn't talk about it", which pretty much seals the deal IMHO. Or even asking "Would you rehire this person?" usually gets you an appropriate answer.

If a person hesitates, I'll usually ask "Would I be making a good decision if I didn't hire this person?". I get an answer most of the time to that question.

IMO that's a poor way to do things. Do you depend on other people's opinion to do your job (assess the candidate one-on-one)? How do you know that person is reliable? Do you ask for their references too, so you know their managerial opinion holds water?