Choosing and briefing the right referee is essential to securing a job, writes Jim Bright.
Vicki from Petersham writes: "I have a very strong suspicion that my last employers are bad-mouthing me when contacted by prospective new employers.
I've known them to do this to other workers who objected to the workplace culture of bullying and dobbing. I have applied for about 70 jobs, many of which I have been qualified for.
Everything has gone well at the interview, then nothing, as I only have a very grudging written reference from them."
Job knock-backs are always difficult to stomach and we have a natural tendency to look for the causes of rejection. Often, the cause is hard to determine and employers are reluctant to give too much feedback lest they get sued, especially if they know their decision was arbitrary or unfair.
The major factors behind rejection are:
■Politics - the job's been promised to someone else or you have a black mark for some reason;
■A defective application - this could include a poorly written cover letter or CV;
■Insufficient knowledge, skills or experience;
■A bad interview;
■Testing or exercises - your abilities or personality may have been deemed a poor fit or your performance in exercises highlighted deficiencies;
■Poor references;
■Withdrawal of the job.
As you can see, there are a lot of potential causes of rejection. In our research, we studied how recruiters judged CVs, interviews and references among a group of colleagues.
We found that, contrary to popular belief, a strong CV could offset a poor interview and vice versa but a poor letter of reference would sink the candidate regardless of the strength of the application. References and reputation count.
In Vicki's case, she is getting to interview, so we can be confident that her CV is doing the hard yards. However, there is still some ambiguity about whether it is the reference or her interview performance that is letting her down.
This is something Vicki needs to clarify. On the basis of her story though, anyone who has had that many interviews must have improved their performance through practice, if nothing else.
She also suggests she is aware of what is in her reference report.
My recommendation when managing potential referees is to approach them face to face and ask: "I am considering applying for this position [give a copy of the position description]. I would like to use you as a referee and was wondering whether you would be willing to provide a suitably positive reference to support my application."
This may sound pushy but it is merely spelling out what is implied in wanting to use the person as a referee - that they will be supportive. Do it face to face so you can gauge any hesitation, equivocation or lack of enthusiasm.
Remember, many references are now supplied over the phone and any lukewarm responses will scream "REJECT!"
If your intended referee is not likely to be positive, use someone else. Even if the employer expressly asks for your supervisor, if you know they are going to be negative, find another referee.
Alternatively, Vicki could approach her last employer and ask that the reference be refashioned to dwell more on her strengths.
This does not mean they have to lie or exaggerate but merely emphasise the highlights. If this fails, she needs to find another person within the company - or even a previous employer.
If Vicki is still with her employer and they genuinely think little of her, surely they would be better off helping her to leave. If they think highly of her, they need to appreciate that she wants to leave and either help her or make a counter offer.
If you are unsure what your referee is saying about you, consider getting a friend to call them posing as an employer to procure a reference.
Sound sneaky? I've just come back from California, where there are companies who specialise in doing this on behalf of job hunters.
A point to remember: it is easy to get paranoid and assume supervisors will write bad things about you. In my experience, even when there have been significant interpersonal or performance issues, most supervisors tend to be fair and give the benefit of the doubt when supplying references.
Whether we love or loathe our supervisors, they are the judges of our work. We need to treat them considerately when applying for new roles.
Jim Bright is professor of career education and development at ACU and a partner at Bright and Associates, a career management consultancy. Send emails clearly marked "For publication" to brightside@jimbright.com.