I am on the job hunt and had a great prospect.

30 Comments

1. Michele DarleySeptember 23,2022 at 2:38PM UTC

   Did you reach out to your refeferences to ask them to be references and let the know they would be recieving a call about you?

   Are you sure you had their correct contact information?

   You should never assume, and after a few days I would have followed up with your references to see if they'd been called/contacted.

   I would check in with your references now, especially if they are people you truly thought would say good things about you and make sure you're on the same page about them being references.

   Make sure that you specifically ask people if you can use them as a reference and that they will be able to say with all hinesty that they will work with or hire you again.

   Make sure that if someone asks you for references you contact yours to let them know that someone will be calling them.

   Hope that helps!

2. Sarah McLeroySeptember 23,2022 at 2:54PM UTC

   Thank you! I do always ask my references before giving their name to a company. I usually ask if they'd prefer their office # or cell to be give and which companies could be calling. I guess I'm going to have to have more frank discussions with them about being reference.

3. AnonymousSeptember 23,2022 at 2:56PM UTC

   After you interview, for each job, I strongly recommend providing your references with a copy of your resume and cover letter for the position and a copy of the position posting in a friendly quick email.
   This makes it much easier to confirm employment details and answer the questions that come.

   I would not spend time worrying about the company’s policy and that they did not contact you, this is now water under the bridge.. I would spend more effort on ensuring my relationship with my references is good/friendly, and empowering them with information that makes giving references easier.

   Also, take heart, you were almost there and this is just a small area to take care of before you go out there and land a great job!

4. Joan Williams, Senior Talent Acquisition SpecialistSeptember 24,2022 at 7:50AM UTC

   As a recruiter with over 20 years experience, I would not recommend this. If I agreed to be a reference for someone, I wouldn't want to be getting resumes, cover letters and job descriptions every time someone interviewed. I don't have that kind of bandwidth. I only want to know when you actually need me to be a reference.

   Your references are doing you a favor and you should be respectful of their time.

   This could also backfire. The reference could get so used to ignoring multiple emails that aren't actual reference check requests, they could ignore the real thing.

5. Michele DarleySeptember 24,2022 at 9:13PM UTC

   Also a recruiter and completely agree with Joan.

6. AnonymousSeptember 25,2022 at 3:24AM UTC

   That is interesting.

   This may be a cultural difference of my sector (academia) where your connection/collaboration strength and information alignment with your reference is an element of scrutiny. Thanks for the balance on the advice for OP!

7. Joan Williams, Senior Talent Acquisition SpecialistSeptember 25,2022 at 7:57PM UTC

   So your references expect you to send them a resume, a cover letter and a job description for every job you interview for?

   Some people interview for months, sometimes many months, even a year, before they get a potential offer and a request for references.

8. Anne McDonough MeadeSeptember 25,2022 at 3:29PM UTC

   When I know references are going to be contacted for a job I reach out and let them know. But maybe it isn’t possible in all cases?

9. AnonymousSeptember 23,2022 at 7:14PM UTC

   No more advice. Weird that they requested 5 references. It's not like you were going for position of CEO

   I would figure they asked for so many because people get busy and references are not top of mind sometimes.

   Oh well, if they had a list of candidates waiting in the wings maybe this was the plan. Next time cue up each reference to expect a call within a certain window and that you really need their help.

10. Lomaxruiter@yahoo.comSeptember 25,2022 at 12:48PM UTC

    What makes you say that this wasn’t a CEO position?

11. AnonymousSeptember 24,2022 at 6:02AM UTC

    Honestly, if they really wanted you, they would have reached out. I had a company call me, about the exact issue, my references did not follow up.

    I told HR, that I had additional references, professional and personal. I also reached out to my other references to let them know the situation. And, the HR contacted all of the references I gave them, because they all let me know.

12. Joan Williams, Senior Talent Acquisition SpecialistSeptember 24,2022 at 7:43AM UTC

    First of all, 5 references is a lot - I've never heard of a company asking for more than 3.

    What I tell all my candidates, is when you're asked to provide references, before you provide that information, reach out to each one, confirm that they agree to be a reference for you, confirm both their phone number and email address, tell them what company they should expect to hear from (if you know, sometimes they use a reference checking company), tell them the title of the position and that you're excited about the opportunity.

    Ask them to please check their spam. And if it's someone that I know well enough, I ask them to give me a heads up when they've been contacted.

    Did you reach out to your references? Were they expecting to be contacted?

13. AnonymousSeptember 25,2022 at 1:10PM UTC

    Employers obsess too much over references.
    Not everyone has 10 friends who can take time off or aren’t too busy to be a reference.

    If you need references next time an employer asks you for some, you could join Reddit and ask for people to be your refs on r/BeMyReference.

14. AnonymousSeptember 25,2022 at 3:23PM UTC

    That is a brilliant idea for a Reddit thread...

15. Michelle S.September 25,2022 at 3:47PM UTC

    Awesome tip!

16. AnonymousSeptember 28,2022 at 6:03PM UTC

    Great info. I have needed reference letters, and my friends don't have time to do that. So, I tell them, write my own letters. It is ridiculous.

17. DebbieSeptember 25,2022 at 2:06PM UTC

    I always thought references are pursued only once a job offer is made? They cannot seriously want all referemces back each time someone interviews? When I was inbetween jobs I interviewed every week for 5 for a few months! Imagine the number of emails to my references- its not manageable.

18. Pam HeaphySeptember 25,2022 at 6:03PM UTC

    This puzzles me - why would a company offer a job and THEN look

    at references?

19. AnonymousSeptember 26,2022 at 4:59PM UTC

    I had this argument with former employer multiple times...because on more than one occasion, someone I was contacting for a reference (at one time, that was one of my responsibilities in HR prior to enlisting a third party to do them) gave a less than stellar reference for an individual and I'm like "well we've already offered, now what?" and no one was willing to rescind.

20. Crystal HowellSeptember 25,2022 at 2:39PM UTC

    I would thank them for your time, find their competitor or another company,use other references. Maybe that person might not workout.

21. Michelle S.September 25,2022 at 3:48PM UTC

    I’m sorry this happened to you.
    I found that old school HR who continue to follow the rules of 30 years ago to the letter, aren’t much fun to be around anyway. That would have been an inflexibility red flag to me. I feel like some thing better is for you anyway. Don’t let it get you down and best of luck to you! I haven’t even been asked for references in my last three positions over the last seven years. And they were management

22. AnonymousSeptember 25,2022 at 7:27PM UTC

    YES! I mean FIVE references?? Talk about overkill... not to mention how busy everyone is at work these days.

23. Sharilyn CanoSeptember 25,2022 at 6:46PM UTC

    Whenever I have offered references, I contacted each of them first and let them know about the job I was so excited for and asked if they would be willing to be a reference. Then let them know to expect a call. 100% of mine responded and I got my dream job. Good luck, you will find the best job for you.

24. Valerie RiegerSeptember 26,2022 at 12:59PM UTC

    I always make sure that the people that I've listed as references know to expect a communication from the hiring organization. They've been on the lookout for the communication and provided great references.

    I wouldn't expect an organization to notify me that they weren't able to get in touch with my references as they would have expected me to provide people that would respond to their request.

25. AnonymousSeptember 26,2022 at 4:55PM UTC

    Whenever I am being asked to provide references, I immediately reach out to those I am providing as references to ensure that, first, they are still willing and second, when they can expect to hear. My references are also really good about letting me know when they have been contacted or if they haven't.

    And yes, ideally the company should have let you know.

26. CyndiSeptember 27,2022 at 1:20AM UTC

    I quit my job after 15 years. There were so many people who offered to be a reference if I needed them. When time came to ask for their help, they all said yes to be references. The problem was, the company I had just left, the one where all these people work, has a rule: only HR can provide references. Active employees are not allowed. I could not use anyone so I had to start from scratch. I had 24 hours to submit 5 references. The requirements were: 2 Direct Managers & 3 Peers/Co-workers. I went into problem solving mode. Then I remembered LinkedIn. I private messaged people I haven't seen or spoken to in 10+ years hoping they remembered my awesomeness. ? Everyone was so kind to agree to help. Long story short, I got the new job and LinkedIn saved the day!

27. AnonymousSeptember 30,2022 at 2:10PM UTC

    Did you contact your references to let them know to expect a call? I always confirm before I share information to know I can still count on that person and also to give them a heads up.

28. AnonymousOctober 2,2022 at 2:07AM UTC

    Some companies have policies that only HR references are allowed and cannot contact other employees for reference. Check that and use HR letters.

29. AnonymousOctober 2,2022 at 10:22PM UTC

    Just as firms do what is best for THEM, time to do what is best for YOU. You can back out of an offer at any time you wish. When it comes to references, asking for FIVE references is a bit much and a red flag. 3 is more than enough. Secondly, when providing references, I would recommend reaching out to your references via email or if possible phone contact and explain who may call and for what position. You don't want them to be caught off guard. I give professional references of those I supported/worked with directly--not managers. I do not trust HR - at all. IF that company truly wanted to hire you--they would have reached out to let you know that your references have not responded. Just saying. You will find a much better place - who wants to truly bring you onboard. By the way, I keep in touch with those I plan to use as references, send holiday emails here and there. Always good to keep in touch - via email or LinkedIn.

30. Annette KoehnleinOctober 12,2022 at 7:42PM UTC

    Would have been nice if they did I return the call but I guess it was taken as a negative.