Candidate References – Top Mistakes

Secrets of a CRA Recruiter

It is rare for a company to not check candidate references before moving into a final offer. In some instances, recruitment companies may not even reveal their openings without the successful completion of references.

In an effort to help candidates be successful, our team got together to discuss the top mistakes we see folks make when going through the candidate references process. This podcast will discuss the following along with many other tips.

Blindsiding Past Colleagues or Employers

Years ago, it used to be standard to provide a list of references on your resume. As a past manager, receiving random calls about previous team members was normal. But that is no longer the case. Some companies have strict policies against providing personal or professional references. And some folks just don’t want to be a reference…no matter how awesome you are.

Assuming Your Reference Will Speak Highly of You

I was contacting candidate references one day and one particular CRA’s past supervisor was in complete shock that I had called her. She couldn’t believe she had been used as a reference because she had actually fired the candidate! Now this may be extreme for your circumstances, but don’t assume your references will have all great things to say about you.

Not Following Instructions

From providing the wrong people as references to not providing proper contact information for those references, following instructions is paramount to the successful completion of the candidate references step. Know this, your ability to navigate the process of properly providing references is as important as what the references say about you.

Our Latest Podcast is all about Candidate References

A failed reference check can negatively impact the hiring process…even after you are hired. A poor or missing reference is a huge reason why folks miss out on opportunities so let us help you gracefully navigate the process.