I got an unsolicited message from a hiring manager to give a reference for someone.

18 Comments

1. AnonymousAugust 23,2022 at 1:14PM UTC

   You obviously have no obligation to speak to anyone and it does seem a little strange. It's up to you whether you want to speak to the hiring manager reaching out but I would first check with your ex-coworker whether she wants you to do this and whether she really wants to work with a manager that's spamming people for references.

2. Tracey MorrisAugust 23,2022 at 2:28PM UTC

   I agree that the circumstances are bizarre. I have never had this experience. So many organizations are unwilling to provide a true reference -- and have policies stating that their employees are unable to do so as well. In addition to checking with your former co-worker, you might check with HR to see if they authorize employees to give a reference for a former co-worker.

3. Joan Williams, Senior Talent Acquisition SpecialistAugust 25,2022 at 7:55AM UTC

   That's not typically how it works.

   A prospective employer can do an employment verification - ask the dates you worked there, sometimes the title and if you're eligible for rehire. That's it.

   References are something the candidate provides to the prospective employer - usually three - typically a combination of former managers/supervisors and peers.

4. AnonymousAugust 23,2022 at 11:55PM UTC

   This practice appears to be growing more common. A friend of mine recently had a similar experience.

   I share your distaste for this approach to references and for employers who use this method. It strikes me as an invasion of privacy.

   My reaction for those who are asked by an employer to give a reference: If you can give a good reference, check with the candidate for permission to speak with the employer. If you can’t give a good reference, tell the employer that you didn’t work closely with the person, so aren’t able to offer an opinion. If pressed, say that the person seemed like a good worker, but you weren’t close enough to assess them personally or professionally.

5. AnonymousAugust 24,2022 at 2:33PM UTC

   This is very sneaky and unethical.
   While it may be somewhat legal, it's not a good sign for your ex-coworker. Most companies ask the candidate to provide references. By not contacting those individuals, it's disrespecting the candidate. Further, whether the added reference feedback is good, bad or indifferent, the candidate has no way of knowing the motivations of the person the hiring manager contacted. One question I have as well is whether or not it puts the company in jeopardy if their active employee provides a bad reference for someone who has left. This is skirting HR to try to get around potential lawsuits for bad references. It's a loophole that needs to be closed. I would never want to work for a company where the hiring manager did this. The trust and transparency would be broken out the gate.

6. AnonymousAugust 24,2022 at 10:19PM UTC

   This is great, thanks for your response! I should have clarified. I’m at a different company from where I previously worked with this coworker. We crossed paths at a different org a few years back, and that is what the hiring manager wanted to talk to me about.

7. Joan Williams, Senior Talent Acquisition SpecialistAugust 25,2022 at 7:51AM UTC

   This is absolutely not normal.
   I, personally, consider it unethical - especially if the hiring manager had reached out to one of the candidates current co-workers. It has happened and people have gotten fired over it (known as back door reference checking).

   I have been in recruiting for over 20 years and have never heard of this sort of spamming for a reference before. Did the company ask your friend for references? Did she provide them?

   I would consider this a ginormous red flag and would withdraw my candidacy if this happened to me.

   I absolutely do not think you are overthinking this.

8. PamelaOctober 24,2022 at 3:13PM UTC

   Not over thinking. Don't be surprised by this new technique because social media is here to stay. Which, means people will evolve from the original intent for why it created to begin with, whether it is for the better or not.

9. AnonymousAugust 25,2022 at 12:22PM UTC

   So in the world of HR, there is something called off list references. The university system where both my mom and my brother work is very fond of doing off list references.

   Rather than "this hiring manager is spamming people for references", it sounds like this company is doing the off list reference practice as well.

   From past experience with being let go, etc, I have been told by those hiring managers that the only thing you're ethically allowed to discuss is the dates the candidate was employed at xyz company. In other words, all you should do in this case is simply confirm that you worked at the same company with them but you are not familiar enough with their job performance to be able to comfortably give a proper reference, especially as an off list reference.

10. AnonymousAugust 28,2022 at 10:07PM UTC

    Good point about what information is safe to give. A former employer can only verify a past employee work dates - nothing else, legally. As far as past co-workers, one must be careful what information is given to protect ones self. I am unaware if the same constraints of what can legally be shared goes for previous co-workers. Much information is available on the public virtual domain - I know Facebook pages are search quite routinely - a wealth of personal information there! A company that delves that much in to a person's background may give cause to rethink working there!

11. AnonymousAugust 25,2022 at 12:38PM UTC

    This is an interesting twist on a practice that has been around for a long time. But, as described, it gives me the creeps :)

    The long time practice at most places I've worked is, for senior hires especially, to check references that have been provided and also ask the candidate if it is okay to ask people who are not on the list. There are excellent reasons for candidates to decline. However, if they say Yes, it's very common to seek out a known person to get additional insight.

    For instance, if I have a trusted colleague or friend at company A where a candidate has worked, and permission from the candidate to go off list, I might ask how that person treats peers and subordinates.

    I've also been asked many times for my perspective in situations like this. But, I decline if I don't know the person asking me, because this is also a way that illegal phishing organizations gain insights about people they are trying to hook.

    For security evaluation purposes, it is very normal to ask a wide variety of people who are not selected by the candidate, but here there is a formal process you can use to check the qualifications of the investigator. And, the subject has to give permission.

    Without permission from the candidate and without some existing relationship with the extra reference or some reason to believe that the additional reference is trustworthy, I would not support this kind of reference check in general.

12. AnonymousAugust 25,2022 at 2:19PM UTC

    And what if it is just the opposite? Either way, it is out of control of how far we really do not have control over our own digital footprints out here.

13. ReachingGoalsAugust 25,2022 at 2:48PM UTC

    Ah, one of the joys of social media. You can answer or not. IF your co-worker gets hired, she may want to mention to HR that this is happening, unless of course HR is the one doing it. Then she may want to think about the culture of the company. Is she following higher-up policy or going rogue?

14. PamelaOctober 24,2022 at 3:10PM UTC

    Valid point.

15. JJAugust 25,2022 at 8:28PM UTC

    Social media ruins everything! That is weird and I would ignore the person who did that.

16. Audrey KirschAugust 25,2022 at 11:38PM UTC

    If they want references, they should ask your ex co-worker to provide them with some. It is icky and I wouldn't respond.

17. Liz MilneAugust 29,2022 at 5:03AM UTC

    I would give the glowing reference but warn the hiring manager that what she's done could have been overstepping and got your colleague into trouble, had the people she spammed been hostile to your colleague. Remind her that there is a reason for references, and that it is polite and customary to warn candidates when references are going to be sought... :/

18. PamelaOctober 24,2022 at 3:08PM UTC

    WOW! Just learned something new or just gave me another perspective on what a modern day technique that is used for bringing people in or not.

    Here is the thing...it is still subjective either way you take that technique of using the platforms to conduct research on possible hires. Just don't be surprised when it happens.

    Fortunately, the majority of my work history in different roles, I have been with great people and vice versa but there is that chance that one person(s), who has been offended by you in some kind of way, that may not be have been upfront about their feelings about you in the first place and can impact you as a reference negatively.

    Hopefully, the tactic of checking cross references on LinkedIn is for the better and the employer has an open mind if they do come across any unfavorable experiences about a candidate. Looking at the time frame should be a clue.