First, some questions. When you hire people, do you check references? Do you want to speak with their managers? Do you ask questions about performance?
Most companies want to do reference and background checks but then balk at giving out the same information as they require before they hire someone. In fact, a friend lost out on a job because his former manager wouldn’t give a reference, saying it was against company policy and she could only confirm job title, salary (more on that later) and dates of employment. The recruiter explained that if he’d truly been a good employee, she would have broken company policy and given him a reference.
Managers are caught in this game between their company policy, which requires them to be tight-lipped, and the reality of job hunting, which is everyone needs references that can speak to their performance. Many managers like their former employees (I know I do) and are happy to give references. They want to see their former employees succeed and know they need the reference to do so. And, on the flip side, they don’t want their horrible employees to move up the corporate ladder, so they are desperate to blab.
Read the full article @ Comstock’s Magazine
