In today's competitive job market, companies want to hire people with proven skills and minimal risk. Even a single negative reference can cause you to be eliminated a priori from the candidate list. If you find yourself with a negative reference, you should do something right away to limit the effect this will have on your applications.
Steps
Method 1 of 2: Anticipate Negative References
Step 1. Know who might be giving you a negative reference
The personnel manager of the company offering the job receives your references in two ways, and you must in any case know where your negative reference is coming from.
- In one case, you provide the cover letter or data from previous employers yourself. The point of references is to confirm your skills and the requirements you claim to have. Before asking someone for a cover letter, make sure they can only say good things about you. Think back not only to your employment relationship but also to your personal one (if there was one). If you have unresolved concerns, do not provide the reference.
- The HR manager can also look up your references on their own initiative. He can speak to superiors, colleagues, employers. You have less control over this type of verification, so if you have reason to be concerned, follow the preventative measures explained below.
Step 2. Find out what policies the company you work for or have worked for has regarding references
It could be that they are not authorized to give certain information about you (a measure to protect the company itself), or that they can only communicate certain data such as:
- Dates of employment
- Qualification
- If the contract is terminated by mutual agreement
- Your salary
Step 3. Get help from someone who contacts your previous employers for you
A friend of yours can call and check what information about you they are willing to divulge and whether they will provide a positive or negative reference. If you have reason to fear a negative reference from someone, it is worth asking more specific questions than inquiring about the general data alone.
Finding out about the skills, competences, ethics, punctuality, character you possess, directly from ex-colleagues (whether they are authorized to talk about it or not) can allow you to understand what opinion you have of you in the company
Step 4. To prevent the HR manager from coming across the one negative reference, provide several positive references
If you provide detailed information on the positive references you have, including cover letters covering your entire career, you could satisfy the curiosity of the company and prevent them from going to do research without your knowledge.
Three to five of these references should suffice
Method 2 of 2: How to Deal with a Negative Reference
Step 1. If the negative reference is incorrect, contact the personnel manager of that company
You can do this if you have been given the negative information that the company you worked for provided and if you are convinced it is partial or deserves an explanation. How much do you contact the manager:
- Explain your situation: "I am looking for a job and the company I applied for has contacted yours to verify my reference."
- Repeat what you know was reported: "My superior at the time, Giovanni, said that I was often late and that I sometimes got out early."
- Explain the situation from your point of view to provide evidence of the inaccuracies: "At that time my mother had just taken off her cast and I had to accompany her to the physiotherapist. I expressed a desire to change shifts, but was told that it was not possible. I had talked to Giovanni explaining that it was a temporary situation, and I thought we agreed ".
- Explain that the information provided is harming you: "To say that I have often been late from a misconception of myself is harming me. Since John and I agreed on the temporary nature of my situation, it should not now be a impediment for me in the search for a new job ".
- At this point, most personnel managers will be afraid of you suing the company and will try to minimize the risk. Inaccurate information will likely be corrected in anticipation of future verification.
Step 2. Explain the situation to the prospective employer
After trying in every way to avoid the negative reference, once it has been communicated the best thing is to talk about it honestly. If you choose the right words and attitude, you can greatly reduce the negative impact it will have.
For example, instead of "I was fired by the boss because he disliked me," you could say, "We split because of our differences of ideas" and explain, "Now I'm looking for a company that cares about its employees. and enhance their skills"
Step 3. Offer several positive references to balance the negative one
Don't let a negative reference stick to the prospective employer's mind - you should provide at least three positive references to hopefully lessen the impact of the one that puts you in a bad light.
Consider that if, for example, one reference complains about your punctuality, but three others are positive and do not mention similar problems, doubts may arise as to the reliability of the information itself
Step 4. Accept the past and go on your way
Following the tips I've listed will help you manage and limit a negative referral. If you can't delete it, accept your resume as it is and don't be distressed.
