Interview Tips >Remember to Contact Your References After the Interview
“Hello, may I please speak to Mrs. Sue Pervisor?”
“One moment please.”
…
“This is Sue.”
“Hi Mrs. Pervisor, I am calling on behalf of OverpayStaff, Inc.”
“What can I do for you today?”
“You were listed for a reference for Mr. Desi Porate. He recently interviewed with our company and I was wondering if you could tell me more about him as an employee?”
“I’m sorry, who are you calling for again?”
“Mr. Desi Porate.”
“And… He worked for our company?”
“He was listed here as Assistant Manager of Product Solutions between 2007 and 2009.”
“Okay… Desi… Desi… Hold on one second…”
…
“Okay, yeah, I see here. You are right, he was employed by us during that time frame. Looks like he left last June. What would you like to know?”
“You know what? I think we got what we were looking for. Thanks.”
“Okay? Well, have a nice day.”
**Click**
Most employers ask for references. References are usually people that you work with or know personally that are likely to say good things about you. Throughout your job search, it is likely that you have already prepared a list of references to pass to your employers upon request.
Therein lies the problem. The job search is a long process. Over time, even your best managers and supervisors are going to have you fade from their memory. While it is unlikely that any supervisor is going to forget you altogether, pauses, uncomfortable silences, and other behaviors by your reference reflect poorly on you.
Call Your References
You will be sending in dozens of resumes. Do not put your references on your resume. Put a note that says “References Available Upon Request.” That way you can control who knows your references and who will be calling.
Once you have supplied those references, however, it is vital that you call each reference and tell them about the job that you interviewed for. References must be warned in advance that a call may be coming so that they can:
- Prepare to say positive things about you.
- Prepare to spin things in a way that helps you get that particular job.
Perhaps most importantly, references should be warned so that they will know the call is coming and avoid any awkwardness that could damage your candidacy. Always, always call your references after each interview.
Take Away Interview Tips
- Call your references after the interview to tell them of the job.
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