I recently applied for a position at a university.

20 Comments

1. Melanie CoggenDecember 7,2021 at 11:04PM UTC

   Not getting the offer may or may not be related to the hiring manager talking with one of your references.

   Touch base with the five references you included to get a sense of how they view your strengths and skills , and how enthusiastic they are about giving you references during your current job search.

   Always offer references you have recently been in touch with. Be sure the references are aware they may be getting a call from your potential employer, and let them know you appreciate their support.

2. AnonymousDecember 8,2021 at 3:07AM UTC

   Yikes, anyone who you think is not thrilled with you or there's a guess they might not give you a good reference is a gamble, risking to get a negative review from them. Please try next time to pick trusted co-workers/former colleagues/clients/former supervisors/partners/or friends who are professionals, since most of the time the employers don't get exact on requiring who are your references. At the same time, it is agreed what was said, make no assumptions that the others "did" you "dirty". Good luck for the next time.

3. AnonymousDecember 9,2021 at 12:54AM UTC

   I don’t think she’s assuming but rather asking.

4. AnonymousDecember 8,2021 at 1:43PM UTC

   I work at a university. Universities are sometimes pretty bad about collecting reference info from far more candidates than they should. E.g., they might already have a candidate in mind, but they ask for references from that candidate and the next 4 or 5 on the list too, at the same time, "just in case" the first one doesn't pan out or declines the offer, etc. When you ask your references how the call went, don't be hugely surprised if nobody ever even actually called them.

5. Leader757947December 10,2021 at 2:10PM UTC

   I work at a university, too, and if we ask for references from one candidate, we have to ask of all that make it to the same level in the review process. I've also noticed that universities are really bad about going through the motions when they have an internal candidate in the pipes. Higher Ed can be super political and frustrating. I do agree with other commenters that checking in with references in advance is a good practice, but I would not assume a reference did you dirty in this case.

6. KelleyDecember 8,2021 at 1:49PM UTC

   While it could be something that was said by a reference, it could very well be that you were not the only one they asked for references. Sometimes universities request references from multiple candidates and sometimes those references aren’t even called but the information is kept on standby if a candidate they had in mind doesn’t work out or doesn’t accept the offer. This way they’re ready to go if they need to move to the next candidate. Don’t take it to heart. Despite doing well, they could have already had someone else in mind, including an internal member.

7. AnonymousDecember 8,2021 at 1:55PM UTC

   It sounds like they may not even called your references based on the timeline but it's hard to tell. I would think about who you could ask to be references and speak with them about it before providing them for applications.

8. AnonymousDecember 9,2021 at 12:52AM UTC

   I wouldn’t give a reference that is not wildly enthusiastic for you. If they ask for former managers’ names, I would give HR contacts’ information.

9. Joan Williams, Senior Talent Acquisition SpecialistDecember 9,2021 at 3:09AM UTC

   HR isn't for references. HR is for employment verification.

10. AnonymousDecember 11,2021 at 2:41PM UTC

    That’s right - that is all HR will do. So that’s better than a disgruntled former boss.

11. Joan Williams, Senior Talent Acquisition SpecialistDecember 11,2021 at 4:38PM UTC

    Yes, but that's not going to address the reference request.

12. AnonymousDecember 12,2021 at 2:21PM UTC

    Many companies will redirect a reference check to HR. I personally have experienced this when checking references related to work.

13. Joan Williams, Senior Talent Acquisition SpecialistDecember 12,2021 at 4:30PM UTC

    HR does employment verification. References the candidate provides are references. References provided by the candidate are provided with their direct contact information. Someone doing a reference check - like me - would reach out to that reference at the direct contact information provided by the candidate.

14. AnonymousDecember 9,2021 at 2:07PM UTC

    I personally think 1 day is too soon for anyone to reach out to all your references and get a response. I think, as mentioned earlier, they had another candidate and asking was just part of their process.

    I will also agree that you should be confident that the people whose names you have provided are on your side. I also will say that from a personal side I can give a reference but from a work side I can't give a reference. We can only confirm you worked for us, the dates and job title.

15. Wendy ScottDecember 9,2021 at 6:41PM UTC

    I agree with the other comments re checking with your referees first, avoiding giving referees who you think may not give you a glowing reference and that there were probably other candidates in play.

    In addition, try giving the recruiter a ring and asking for feedback. It may be you were a great fit but so were a couple of others. There is only one job so they have to pick someone. Worst case scenario is that you will receive some information about how you can improve you interview skills or fill in some skills gaps.

    Good luck with your search :-)

16. BeaBoss645203December 10,2021 at 6:00PM UTC

    I agree with a lot of the comments on here. It seems like 1 day would of been impossible for them to reach out to your references. I know if I receive a call from an unknown number I do not answer and they would need to leave a message. I always also make sure my references really liked me and I text them to let them know that they could be contacted and that I know they will say great things about me. Doesn't hurt to be proactive . They more than likely went with another candidate. Remember there are sometimes hundreds of resumes sent for the same job. Best of luck in the future !!

17. Karen GongawareDecember 10,2021 at 7:10PM UTC

    You do not have to give any supervisors names etc if you don't want to. Here in PA all ex employers can state is that you were punctual, did your work. They have to be careful even if asked about rehiring someone as some companies have a strict no rehire policy. The supervisor or HR has to state that, unless they would like a lawsuit (cough cough Zales corp). Easy to find out too as just call your old employers and ask about yourself to see what they say.

18. Violet Cassidy-Maroke (She/her)December 12,2021 at 1:27PM UTC

    Ask your references if they even got a call. Process of elimination. 1 day is far too quick to get 5 references done! Or maybe they asked for 5 but only called 2. Or maybe they decided on a different candidate and didn't even call them. That's known to happen.

19. abncuDecember 12,2021 at 2:03PM UTC

    References are standard operating procedure. 1 day is not long enough to contact references but do make sure everyone is informed and can provide glowing info about you. Having been on the receiving end of this before with the local u, there likely was an internal candidate or a spousal retention candidate being interviewed for the position. Also, unless it is an upper admin job, being over 40 puts you at an extreme disadvantage for positions at the university in my city. They would much rather sacrifice experience and pay less.

20. KDecember 15,2021 at 5:28PM UTC

    No, I don't think so. Firstly NOBODY gives a bad ref these days because it can bite you in the ass- so unless you've got disciplinary action on your file they can use as evidence they didn't say anything. Secondly, references are standard ops procedure. If you are going for an academic post in particular, we will ask for them ahead of the interview (I work at a Uni). Universities are very old fashioned in some ways. Thirdly- it might not be a bad ref just someone else got a shiny glowing reference. If your refs gave three 'worked here from x to y' references and you were neck and neck wit another candidate, if they have a letter come in that is full of praise and evidence how great you are, that would cinch the decision. It's not a bad ref just someone out there looked better than you. I'd say leave this incident behind and carry on doing what you're doing. It's all fine.