Do you know what your references will say? True quotes from reference checks

(MoneyWatch) Every time I write an article about reference checking I get a comment like this one: "This article is a waste. Nobody gives bad references - they are too afraid of being sued."

While it's true that some people won't give out references, many, many will. Allison & Taylor, a company which specializes in reference checking, helpfully provided me with some real life responses to reference checks.

• How to avoid a bad employer reference


• Trying to hide your scandalous past


• Can I just clean out my desk and disappear?

These are responses to questions regarding performance evaluations: (references are asked to rank skills on a scale from 1 (inadequate) to 5 (outstanding) :

Oral communications: "Can I give a negative number ... -1"?

Financial skills: "Well, that's why our company had a major layoff - left her in charge of finances!"&

Written communications: "You mean when she finally turned in the reports due a week earlier??"

Technical skills: "Is zero in your rating scale?"

Interpersonal relations: "One. He had a problem with a few of the people. I should have ended the relationship just after he started."

Productivity: "Is there a rating less than inadequate?

Employee relations: "There was a lot of he said/she said happening with other employees. And other than her leaving, nothing else has changed. We haven't had any problems since then, so we know she was the source of the problem."

Here are responses regarding strengths and weaknesses:

"I cannot think of any strengths, only weaknesses"

"I'm sure there must be some strengths but nothing jumps out at me."

"Weaknesses seem to stick in my mind ... I'd have to really think about any strengths"

"I'd rather not comment - you can take that however you want"

Could you fully describe the circumstances and reason for the separation?

"She was fired."

"She was let go - she didn't do her part as expected."

"He was let go ... there was a conflict with the children - he didn't follow safety standards and guidelines."

"I fired him! He and his buddy had some illegal things going."

"She had been written up and she walked out on work ... because she was upset."

"It was a rather delicate and awkward situation. You should call her other past employers. I made the mistake of not doing that."

"She was terminated in an investigation..." He then got very quiet and said he had General Counsel in his office and couldn't say anything more.

Still think that your bad performance in a previous job will remain secret because of a company policy of not giving references? While it does happen (and has its own set of problems), most of the times a good reference checker can get information from your boss. Now, a good reference checker may track down people that you don't list, many will stick straight to your list.

Have you spoken personally to every person you've listed as a reference? Did you ask them to be a reference or just mention that you were putting their names down? Do you have any clue as to what these people really will say?

I'm sure many of these job candidates would have been surprised to hear that their former bosses felt so negatively towards them. Your best bet, of course, is to be an outstanding employee. But, if it's too late for that, speaking directly with your former bosses to get an idea of what they will say and choose carefully which names you write down when asked for references.

Photo courtesy Flickr user plenty.r.

[Jobhunting]

once i open a reference which was no longer to use and the letter written by one of my teachers. i was surprise that she states some prejudicing words that was totally unfair. so be careful select your referrer. qsic.org is resume samples website which does over 2000 templates.

[CorporateRecruiter]

I have been a recruiter, both third party headhunter and corporate side, for over 15 years. It is always amusing to me when I hear that 'company policy' is only to give dates of employment and no references.

A good recruiter draws information out of the candidate about his/her peers, subordinates and supervisors. I have never found ANYONE that I could not get subtantitive references upon, whether they listed them or not. Once I know a companys department or specific names, contact information is easy to get via LinkedIn, Zoominfo, Pipl or multiple other sources. Backchannel references are easy and common. If you are a good employee who is respected by your peers and supervisors, I will find out. If you have personal or personality problems that affect your work, I will find out.

Never think that your past will not follow you. The world is increasingly connected. If you have skeletons, your only hope is: 1) Someone will have perspective that not all environments are suitable for all people, 2) We all have personal problems that can be overcome or outlived, 3) You don't have a good recruiter involved who is skilled at extracting information from your former, unimpressed colleagues.

Past behavior is the best predictor of future performance. That is a basic truth. Be your best at every job and don't burn bridges, it will end up burning you.

[Helenstrong]

I didn't hire the lady when her referee said "You will be extremely lucky if you can get Miss X to work for you!"

[r.oconnell100]

When I was starting out I had the head of my department threaten to black ball me in the industry if I attempted to go elsewhere, and he used this to keep me working insane hours at about half what a fair market rate salary would have been.

I left the country to escape his reach, but I feel sorry for any one for whom that is not an option.

[JerrySanDiego]

A former boss (who left our company sure that it was going under) gave a current colleague an earful of lies and slander when my colleague went to her house for dinner. Fortunately my colleague is also a very good friend who told me EVERYTHING. I was able to correct some errors with Human Resources immediately while other comments were with regards to my private life.

My former boss later called her and left 2 messages on her cell phone, "You told him something didn't you." and "I thought I shared with you in confidence." She essentially blamed my friend for being a good friend.

What kills me is this is the woman who use to cry on my shoulder in her office in fear that "everyone was out to get her". She slandered many who worked here until they were let go or left voluntarily. I kept assuring her she was a good person, while (all the while), she was manufacturing "evidence" to be used against me later.

She seems to get her kicks out of doing so. What a pathetic and miserable creature.

Later I had to share with my current boss what had happened as the former still has friends here under her influence.

[CathiT]

I have to confess to giving someone the reference "the only position I could recommend her for is working on a single-manned lighthouse"

[NinthSt78]

The first thing to keep in mind is: "Might there be more than one side to a story?" Having read many biographies of important folks, I've found many times that after having read their book, I've seen things much more differently than in the beginning.

One of my favorites and most memorable was the book Lee Iacacca wrote. Did he get a good reference from a past employer? After reading his book, I've concluded that he was a guy who knew how to build a successful team and boost morale even through troubled times. He saved a company on the brink of disaster and turned losing into winning in a way no other could.

[Suzanne Lucas]

There are always two sides to the story. One of the reasons I always take references with a grain of salt is that I don't know either party. If I know the candidate well, no need for a reference. If I know the reference well, it's likely that I talked to the person long before conducting the interview.

So, with reference checks, you're never sure--is the candidate the bad employee or is the person I'm talking to the bad one?

Still, reason to be cautious!

[A8LOOONG]

Once again Suzanne -- a real (horrific) eye opener. I would imagine that pettiness bordering on vindictive behavior would be prominent in smaller(ish) type companies rather than large? Thanks for posting this very valuable information.

[Suzanne Lucas]

Some of it is vindictive. Some of it is just honest. There are some terrible employees out there.

Bigger companies tend to have policies in place, but you can usually get a manager to speak up regardless of company policies.

[twmat311]

It's extremely possible to get a bad reference, justified or not (I was recipient of an unjustified one; I benefitted from networking, so references were redundant in a way). Try to represent your performance graphically, so a good reference is confirmation, and a petty one is safely tossed out.

Even if your performance is stellar, there's some pettiness, vindictiveness, and hurt feelings that shouldn't exist in the workplace...the trick is to anticipate and head it off. Think legally - know the answer before the question is asked!

[Suzanne Lucas]

There are plenty of bad references that are not fair. This is why I'm not a huge fan of reference checks anyway.