Sales Advice Centre : My Sales Career : General

Reference Checking-Road to Riches or Route to Ruin - Sue Mulhall
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You are good at your job. You have spent time developing your client base and providing a quality service to your customers. Your successful track record is rewarded by a job offer from a competitor. Do not let this opportunity erode the trust that you have built between yourself, your Sales Manager and your network of contacts. How do you ensure that your referees do not slam the door of opportunity shut?

Keep Control

The secret to success is to remember that you are in control of your references. Your future boss may manage the logistics of the process (when the checking will occur and by what means) but you control the content (who the referees are). It is your choice, so choose wisely.

Check Your CV

Never put the names of your referees on your CV. This means that if your future boss wants to check your references, he/she has to ask you for their names. In other words, you are in control. You decide who the most appropriate person is to act as a referee for that particular position. This stops informal reference checking between colleagues before you even have a chance to impress at interview. If your interviewer wants to check your references, he/she will have to ask you for their names and contact details.

Remember The Rationale

The fundamental question behind most reference checks is: ‘Would you re-employ this person?’ If you think, or indeed know, that your referee will respond negatively, then do not ask this person to act as your referee. The best referees are those that know how successful you were at your job. In most instances this will be your previous boss, but in some situations it may be more appropriate to use a supplier or a client reference, particularly if you have exceeded their expectations on a regular basis.

Understand The Etiquette

As both a matter of courtesy and protocol, you should ask permission before you use somebody as a referee. Give your referees a copy of your CV but you may want to omit confidential, company information. Advise them of the roles that you are applying for so that you are both singing from the same hymn sheet. If your referee is a former employer it is a good idea to ensure that you both agree on the circumstances of your departure!

Know The Law

There is no legal obligation on any company to provide an employee or a former employee with an oral or written reference. If, however, a company supplies a reference it must be accurate. You also have access to references that your company has received from your previous employers (Data Protection (Amendment) Act, 2003).

Anticipate The Questions

There should be no surprises contained in your references. After all it is about your past success and you have chosen the messenger! A reference will usually state when you worked for the company, your role in the organisation, your contribution to the company and include a pen picture of your character. It will either confirm (or deny!) the information that you supplied at interview so ensure that you can substantiate your track record!

Typical reference checking questions for a sales rep include:

· Please describe the key responsibilities of the candidate in his/her most recent position.

· Tell me about the candidate’s most important contributions to the achievement of your company’s targets.

· Quantify how often the candidate achieved his/her targets?

· Describe the candidate`s relationships with his/her colleagues, direct reports (if applicable) and Sales Manger.

· Talk about the attitude and outlook the candidate brought to the workplace.

· Describe the candidate`s productivity.

· Describe the candidate`s commitment to quality

· Describe the candidate`s customer orientation.

· What are the candidate`s most significant strengths?

· What are the candidate`s most significant weaknesses?

What is your overall assessment of the candidate?

Choose Confident Communicators

Most reference checks are conducted over the phone, as people are usually more forthcoming with verbal feedback than written information. Even if you furnish a written reference your future boss will want to talk to your referees. This is because they will want to use their ‘sixth sense to get a feel of your worth’. Ensure that you provide up-to-date contact details, preferably a mobile phone number, noting the most suitable times to speak your referee. Finally, make sure that your referee is an articulate communicator who can convince your future boss of the considerable contribution that you can make to his/her company.

Remember, if in doubt that are numerous companies that will check what your referees are saying about you. On the other hand, your future boss can also use these organisations to check on your authenticity!