In this article, I’m going to talk about two important aspects related to references: first, talking about references in the context of a hiring process; and second, how to respond when a recruiter requests references from a previous employer.
The question takes the following form: “If I ask your previous boss to tell me about you, what will they say?”
The actual taking of references
Taking references is a good way for a potential employer to validate their opinions about you during the final stages of the selection process.
It’s not legal to contact previous employers without your consent. But remember that the job market is a small pond, and that two employers who are on friendly terms could easily discuss you in an informal way.
It’s up to you to decide who you will provide as references. Of course, it’s up to you to let them know that they will be contacted to provide a reference for you.
Many recruiters believe that while references are important, they are the least-reliable way to gain a true impression of a candidate.
It’s well understood that a person giving a reference typically does not want to cast a negative light on the candidate, with whom they have an established relationship. Often this can lead to glorifying the strengths of a candidate while minimizing their weaknesses.
Sometimes during an interview, a candidate will present me with a recommendation letter from a previous employer in order to convince me of their strengths. Unfortunately for them, the letter won’t influence my evaluation of them.
How to respond when a recruiter asks for references
If you have a hard time answering this question, it can give the impression that your boss doesn’t spend much time working with you.
That may well be the case, but don’t feel the need to elaborate on the fact that your boss spends little time interacting with you. That’s not the subject at hand.
You could use the following formula to quickly get to the heart of what you’re saying: “My boss and I don’t engage too much on this aspect, but knowing him well, I imagine that he would say…”
Avoid listing off a bunch of qualities, along the lines of “My boss says I’m autonomous, multi-skilled, responsible, dynamic, a self-starter, perseverent…”
Listing off qualities isn’t persuasive for a recruiter because the words aren’t tied to any concrete examples. The presence of your boss and their experience working with you is lacking from the response.
Also avoid making generic statements like “My boss thinks I’m great. He would recommend me anytime!”
Don’t forget that the recruiter’s job is to determine your value for the organization. They can’t simply believe what you tell them without any proof.
The best way to respond to this question is to recount real situations that have happened, using evocative details.
“At the end of 2018, during my performance evaluation, my boss congratulated me for being creative and engaged in my job. They were very happy that I found a solution to [X]; they also said that I was great at training new employees, which allowed my boss to focus their efforts on other things.”
Prepare to talk about your weak points too
Questions about references will lead you to discuss your strengths, but also areas where you can improve.
A formula that I like to use to introduce this notion in a positive way is this: “Imagine that your boss believes you have potential and wants to offer you an opportunity to grow within the company. What do you think he would say about aspects of your work that could be improved in order to help you become a better employee?”
When specifying criticisms, you can put the situation in context. “My boss is very exacting. I like getting things done and am focused on results. There were times where he felt I tried to do everything too quickly. He would probably suggest that I take more time to analyze a problem before tackling it.”
Personally, I’d like to ask this candidate if they feel their boss is justified in feeling this way. It’s always interesting to hear the different nuanced opinions from both the boss and the candidate.
It’s often at this moment that I get a clear vision of the nature and quality of the relationship between the candidate and their employer.
The scope of reference-taking
Are you familiar with the 360 exercise that is commonly used by organizations?
The idea is to ask all of your colleagues to explain exactly what they think of you while allowing them to respond anonymously. In this way you get not only the opinion of your boss, but of your co-workers, charges and clients.
Yes, you guessed it – questions about references can take different forms in the context of a job interview.
“If I asked your colleagues to tell me about you, what would they say?”
“If I asked your employees to tell me about you, what would they say?”
If you are able, try to name different elements raised by your boss, colleagues and employees. This will give your responses more depth, rather than simply repeating the same information.
How to prepare your response to the question
Not knowing how to respond to this question can give the impression that you have little concern for the impact you have on others.
With this in mind, be prepared to provide in-depth responses and to provide accompanying examples.
Of course, it will be much easier to reflect on the impressions you’ve received and to structure a response when you have time to prepare, rather than to try to come up with an off-the-cuff answer during the interview.
Why not get started on this exercise now and discover what comes of it?
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