Caution: Careful who you choose for job References!!
I recently had a surprisingly negative experience with a professional reference I chose to use on an awesome job opportunity. I chose to use a coworker from my previous job I thought was a “friend” but he ended up turning the call into his own personal career opportunity. I heard later through the social media grapevine that he was excited about a job opportunity conversation he had with a hiring manager that called to follow up MY credentials! I haven’t heard back from HR about the job or confronted my coworker about removing his knife from my back yet but my advice to ALL jobseekers is to be mindful of who you choose for both professional and personal references to avoid facing an experience like mine. There… I shared my 2 cents!! but if you want more info on improving your reference selection process then check out this awesome article i found online from Quint Careers - http://www.quintcareers.com/job-references/
I hear u...it is hard to tell real friends from fake
John, that is really bad. I would contact the HR at that company and let them know you made a mistake with this reference, and supply another one in its place. I would also mention that what he did to you he will do against that company if given the chance. As the HR person, "do you want to hire someone who is NOT trustworthy??? And puts himself first!! The world is round, this will come back and "bite" him for sure.
That's not right...im actually having to use old bosses for references and i'm a little worried... sorry to hear about your bad experience.. i'm hoping for a better outcome..
If a "friend" of mine did that to me, I'd make it a priority to slap the taste out of their mouth. Several times. But, hey, that's just me :)
Mr. Young: This experience tells you several things: 1.- Your coworker was not your friend. He acted completely unprofessional and he could be liable for a lawsuit if his information included anything that compromised your professional reputation. 2.- The Hiring Company is not reliable. Be glad you weren’t considered. Always takes two to tangle. If from the beginning, you realized that your own prospecting employer wants to hire someone that you trusted as a reference without any regard for you, that tells already a lot. How can you possibly want to work with someone that does not manifest professional integrity. Analyze the situation and know that sometimes things happen for a reason, not evident to us initially, and may be painful, but as a result you gather plenty of facts. I always remember what someone told me, he said “if GOD closes a door a better one will open”. I do not know if you are religious or not, with all respect the say applies to anyone and everyone. Do not disregard yourself, removed that reference from your list and I will not say throw it away, but put it aside. Life has ways of teaching everyone. May be someday he will become a real friend. If you a great professional you will shine, with his reference or without it. All the best for 2016!
Another thought would be to ask your references what he would say about you. Sounds corny, but the new year could be your excuse. Something like this: Mr. Jones, thanks again for agreeing to be a reference for my job search. As a new year resolution, I am updating my resume to make my experience more relevant to_________ (job you are trying to get). If someone was to call you for a reference, what would you say? This might weed out the people who don't really want to be a reference but said yes anyway, and the ones who don't have anything positive /professional to say.
You could also ask for actual reference letters (not emails) and submit those when asked for references.
Wow, John that really is an unfortunate situation! It is a prime example of why job seekers should choose their references very carefully. One common mistake that I have experienced multiple times while checking people's references is that the jobseeker had never asked their listed reference for approval to be a personal reference. It is important to seek your references' permission as they will want to feel prepared and informed if ever called in the future. If a reference if caught off guard their feedback could potentially be less positive and not as concise.
WOW, that's COLD John!! I'm usually so worried about getting my resume updated and preparing for interviews that I don't put in too much thought on references. I'm gonna have to double check on my list and call on them to make sure we have an understanding.. Thank you for sharing your experience.
Well, thats a bummer! I guess it really is a dog eat dog world now-a-days. Its always important to network appropriately in the workplace so that if you do eventually end up making a change in careers, you have references. However, in my personal opinion, I think it says a lot about both the person who was supposedly your reference, as well as the company calling about you. I would not want to work for a company who would pick someone rather shady about their tactics.
John, I KNOW all to well how you feel. I used a FORMER colleague as a reference, with his permission, only to find out that when he spoke with the hiring manager he told her that he was better suited for the position. However, to his surprise, she informed him that if he was interested in the job he should have applied. She also told him that she would not hire someone who would run a colleague under the bus for their own personal gain. The culture of the organization is very important and SOME hiring managers still have integrity. It's unfortunate that you experienced that but remember, it's better to have an ENEMY that's honest rather than a FRIEND who lies......