How to Neutralize a Bad Reference
January 23rd, 2011 @ 01:01pm
Your interviews are going well at Your #1 Targeted Company, and the prospective employer has told you that they'll be talking to your references AND will be calling your former company. A routine practice.
You gulp: Former company...that means former boss, who was, well, a jerk. You and he never got along. He's certainly not one of your official references, but you just know they will be able to find him and talk with him. And he won't say good things about you.
How do you head this off? How do you neutralize the situation so that his words don't kill your candidacy there?
Here are some ways:
1. Get other managers at the company who worked with you to say good things. They don't need to step up to be an official reference for you, but if you talk with them, whether they're still at the company with Former Boss or have moved on, you can coach them in what you'd like them to say about how well you did. Better to be prepared with this than have to scramble to prep these folks, so be proactive and do it now.
2. Coach your "official" three or four references - and if they are aware that Former Boss is not a good guy, they can mention that in passing to the potential employer as they're talking about you and your successes at your former company/companies.
3. On linked in, DON'T do "recommendation swapping". This is where you write a good recommendation for a colleague if they write one for you. This immediately reduces the credibility of your recommendation. Hiring managers, HR, and recruiters notice this.
4. Have a reference contact the employer on your behalf before they themselves are contacted by the employer! Now this means this person has to be a very strong fan of yours. But a phone call from the Very Strong Fan/Reference to the Hiring Manager, peer-to-peer, is always an undeniably impressive way to boost you in that Hiring Manager's eyes. At the same time, it dilutes any negative words from others.
5. Work with the Inside Employee at your #1 Targeted Company, with whom you've networked. They may not have worked with you at your former company, but they now know you and can give their positive impressions to the Hiring Manager. (One client of mine is doing this anyway and is constantly landing interviews.)
6. Best of all, have clients/customers be your references. These can be external OR internal. Their comments tell the Hiring Manager and HR how you really are in your job. Their perspective is the one a prospective employer will respect the most. Since they are not usually bound by any corporate reference-giving policy, they can speak freely about how great you are.
Some thinking ahead, and related action on your part, will help you make this worry one that will go away.
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Have tough questions about unusual situations like this in your search? Contact Joanne.
Posted by Joanne Meehl | in Career coaching, interviews, Job Search, LinkedIn, Networking, References, Social media, | No Comments »
Beware of the Word "Experience"
January 2nd, 2012 @ 09:01am
The word "experience" can hurt you during job search. I say this to candidates of all ages.
How so?
1. The word "experience" can get in the way of other, clearer words that are more specific to your successes.
2. People just don't "see" it any more. It's lost its punch, its meaning.
Saying "I have all this experience" means nothing to the listener, especially if that listener is a networking contact or an interviewer. You'll get polite nods, but little more. They'll be thinking, "So... what does she mean?" But they probably won't ask. You must be more specific from the start -- including on your resume.
So use other words that are more precise, and "sparkier", as I like to say. For example:
Before - "I have 14 years of experience in surface mount technology."
After - "Over several years, I've enjoyed solving surface mount technology project problems."
Before - "I have experience using social media."
After - "At my company, I established the use of Twitter which has led to a 140% increase in our webinar enrollment."
Before - "I have several years' experience in cost accounting."
After - "Within cost accounting practices at my current company, I've become known as someone who streamlines processes without losing accuracy."
Replacing the word "experience" is especially true for the older worker, who is apt to complain to others, "With all my experience, it's taking me a long time to land a new job". But what do you really mean by "experience"? Is it vital stuff or did you do the same thing over and over for all those years? It's painful to see people put the word "experience" out there like it's gold when it's not -- until you say HOW that impacted your organization. Do you now see -- through the examples above -- that changing "that word" to the REAL things you've done will help you break through that barrier? Give it a try.
The word "experience" by itself is just not enough today. Be more specific, and tie the successes you've had to the potential employer's job. That way, you'll be able to apply your actual experience to their problems -- in a new job there.
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Want to "spark up" your wording? Joanne is a published wordsmith as well as a career choice and job search coach. Contact her here.
Posted by Joanne Meehl | in Job Search, job search strategy, resumes, Social media, | 2 Comments »