- Nolan Church shares tips for handling references when leaving a job on bad terms.
- Mending relationships before leaving can improve future reference outcomes and job prospects.
- Self-awareness and honesty in addressing bad references can demonstrate growth to recruiters.
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Nolan Church, a 36-year-old former recruiter for Google and Doordash and now CEO of Continuum; from Salt Lake City. It has been edited for length and clarity.
Before opening Continuum, a talent marketplace for executives, I was a recruiter for Google and later the head of talent at DoorDash. Now, I advise and conduct executive searches for pre-IPO tech companies.
When it comes to hiring, I always called references and heavily weighed what they told me during the interview process.
There are usually two types of references: “front door references,” which candidates tell the recruiter about, and “back door references,” which the candidate didn’t provide but are called anyway.
When looking for a job, you’ll want to make sure you have some good references, but if you’re leaving your old job on bad terms, four things can still help your chances of getting hired.
Before leaving, try to mend things
When leaving an organization, if you’re in a disagreement with your manager, it can be beneficial to try to mend things if possible.
People love to hear, “I was wrong, and I’m sorry. Thank you again for all the time you spent with me.”
While “sorry” doesn’t mean they’ve forgotten or forgiven, it can help. In a world where a future employer calls that person with or without your knowledge, they’re less likely to say negative things.
People remember moments like that. Oftentimes, wrapping things up professionally will be remembered more than your actual performance or the issues you had.
Don’t proactively flag a bad reference, but be prepared
If you were terminated because of performance or maybe you didn’t get along with your past manager, it happens. That said, don’t flag the issue or lead with it — only bring it up if you’re directly asked.
As a recruiter, I’d ask, “Is there somebody I shouldn’t reach out to?” This typically opens the conversation for someone to say, “Oh, not my last manager.”
This would be my way of seeing how self-aware the candidate is. The higher you go in your career, and the more you climb, not everybody will like you — that’s just life. But do you have the self-awareness to know that, and can you professionally articulate why?
You might say something like, “In my last role, my manager and I had differing points of view on the best path to do XYZ, so that person is likely not going to be the best person to talk to, but here are the three people who are.”
If you get a bad reference, be honest and self-aware
When calling references, there were times when red flags would come up, and the employer wouldn’t give a positive review. So, I’d ask several follow-up questions to get the employer’s side of the story.
After hearing them out, I would go back to the candidate to hear their side, too. I believe good recruiters should do that.
I’d then tell the candidate, “Hey, we were doing these references. Can you help me understand your point of view on what happened?” Most recruiters understand that disagreements happen, but how the candidate handles it is what matters.
A good response might be, “My past manager and I, our relationship ended badly. Here’s what happened, here’s how I could have done better, and here’s what I learned.”
When candidates were honest, self-aware, and professional, I often viewed them as somebody who was learning and growing and somebody I wanted to work with.
Front door references should be people who deeply know your work
If you can’t list your latest manager, there are others you can list instead. Past colleagues and managers from previous roles are great, or those from your past leadership teams are too.
Another one people don’t usually think of are customers. For example, if you work in sales and have a customer who raves about their experience with you— that’s such a positive thing.
References should be people who deeply know your work.
No matter who your references are, make sure they know you’re using them
I’d consider a direct report or a higher-up in the organization highly. For example, if the candidate worked at Doordash and listed the CEO as a reference, I’d think, oh, they mean business.
Still, no matter who you list as your reference, always check with that person first to make sure it’s OK to use them. That’s huge because if you don’t ask and the recruiter does call them, they’ll most likely answer and say, “Why are you calling me? I haven’t talked to him in years.”
As a recruiter, this shows me that you lack maturity, and it won’t help you.
Finally, if you know someone is going to be a bad reference, don’t put them down as a reference—that’s just, in red words, stupid.
If you’re a recruiter with job interview tips you’d like to share, please contact this editor, Manseen Logan, at mlogan@businessinsider.com.
Read the full article here
