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Personally, I don't check references unless I know the person they listed as a reference (kind of a small industry with a bunch of movement between companies - somebody always knows somebody). Otherwise, I fully expect them to be fake and give a glowing review, or be human - in which case their review means jack, since humans are totally fallible.
In short, if any hiring manager calls up Jane Wanker as Jack Smith's reference and says "hey, how was Jack as an employee" and takes their word for it - well, they're fooling nobody but themselves.
Then again, I don't care much about work history lapses - that just tells me they were smart enough with their money to take some time off, or will really appreciate the employer that overlooks such a "negative". Besides, I can always call around back channels if they were in the business before I find out what they were like, but if I question them that much after a phone screen, skills test and a F2F, then I'd probably pass anyway.
Heck, I won't use Jane Wanker's opinion to determine where to go to lunch, why would I do so for a multi-thousand dollar commitment?
I absolutely love it when the Just World people and the Bootstrappers get all hot under the collar when people get away with fake references and amped up resumes. They act like this has never been done before. How do you think politics are done, empires established and people become CEOs? You think any of these things got done because "people were honest" and "told the truth"? So mess happens every day and we hear about it and read about. But it bothers nobody. Now when some poor ******* wised up and started using his uncle as a reference after being unemployed for 2 years - people want to have an inquisition and burn him? That's really hypocritical. It's ok to be a repeat felon and employers are more apt to hire them than hire a highly qualified long term unemployed? I had a repeat pedophile with a long standing record working with children at a city agency, but same city agency has a staunch policy of not hiring the long term unemployed. The agency hired the guy, then fired him after the cops busted him with a kid in his car and the story made the papers. Turns out dude already has record when said agency hired him. Yet the agency hates the unemployed and won't hire them. Wow. Makes sense.
So true. The minute the average joe does this it is wrong. Like I have said, there isn't a single person who is 100% honest 100% of the time.
So true. The minute the average joe does this it is wrong. Like I have said, there isn't a single person who is 100% honest 100% of the time.
Yes. Average Joe isn't supposed to "wise up." Are you kidding? He's supposed to be dumb and naive!He's supposed to believe the BS. They make a distinction between "us" and "them". Everybody I know has played around and continues to play around with references and other things on their resume. The smart people know what to play with and what not to play with. In a forest of wolves you can't be the sheep. There has been so much hateful bias against the unemployed, I don't think they have a choice if they want to survive. Or they can go live in the tent city in Lakewood, NJ. Oh...wait...they can't now because the cops have demolished their tent city and forced them out.I don't know is it better to be kicked out from your tent city or fake job references, get a job and prevent losing your apartment/home? Isn't this a no brainer question?
I used to wonder how someone could be unemployed for 2 years but after experiencing being unemployed for a year I can see how easy it is. Mainly because time goes so fast while job searching. 60 days just seems to fly by and before you know you been unemployed for 7 months. So someone being unemployed for 2 years no longer sounds odd
How are gaps viewed for a soon-to-be college grad? I interned in 2012 and another in 2010. I'm graduating in a month. I've spent the other times volunteering and being involved with leadership positions in school clubs, for the most part. I've landed about 14 job interviews since February.
How are gaps viewed for a soon-to-be college grad? I interned in 2012 and another in 2010. I'm graduating in a month. I've spent the other times volunteering and being involved with leadership positions in school clubs, for the most part. I've landed about 14 job interviews since February.
I believe since you were in college from 18-22 gaps are irrelevant.
Yes. Average Joe isn't supposed to "wise up." Are you kidding? He's supposed to be dumb and naive!He's supposed to believe the BS. They make a distinction between "us" and "them". Everybody I know has played around and continues to play around with references and other things on their resume. The smart people know what to play with and what not to play with. In a forest of wolves you can't be the sheep. There has been so much hateful bias against the unemployed, I don't think they have a choice if they want to survive. Or they can go live in the tent city in Lakewood, NJ. Oh...wait...they can't now because the cops have demolished their tent city and forced them out.I don't know is it better to be kicked out from your tent city or fake job references, get a job and prevent losing your apartment/home? Isn't this a no brainer question?
I agree with the right to fudge a reference, but it MUST be difficult to make it 'authentic', especially if that someone is honest but just desperate. Honest people have a difficult time fully embracing and fabricating a lie. It's more complicated than just having someone say you were a great employee because the reference may get grilled and you will likely get grilled during an interview especially if was a recent job. Honest people have an easy time with details and body language, not so much with a lie. Also, you MUST live with the lie. By that, I mean you can never tell another employee or anyone in the field. Best not tell anyone except one of the fake reference places, maybe a spouse, maybe a therapist, lawyer or priest. Someone who will be required to stick to confidentiality. The truth may come out and you must live with that anxiety. But it's important that the 'truth' never comes out of YOUR mouth. If you lie, it's likely that you will have to cover the lie with another. It can be complicated.
That said, corporations lie, cheat and steal all the time. Hence, jobs outsourced to countries with cheap labor and no environmental laws. They launder money in tax havens and get out of paying US taxes that would benefit the US debt and our economy. Don't even get me started on the 1%. Oops, am I ranting? How unfair of me to dis' the very hand that pretends to feed us. So, I don't know, maybe you best not lie about a reference you might lose your job and likely you won't be getting one of those lump sum $million dollar severance packages that poor performing CEOs get...
Ok I am super puzzled about this reference thing. How is everyone having such an issue.
2 jobs ago, they asked references as part of the hiring process. This company wasn't picky, so I just picked 2 former coworkers I am still in touch with. One loves me and thinks I am the best coworker ever. He is also really long winded. By the time anyone talks to him, they are sick of talking to references. The second recommended me for the job before that, and I have worked with him twice. I haven't seen him for about 12 months, but we are still in touch. I got the job.
Last job search I needed to come up with 3 references, and they requested a former supervisor. I used an excuse about how at ome job I reported to the CEO but we didn't work closely and coworker #1 had a better handle on my day to day duties. Current boss was out since my job hunt was a secret. And the boss before that was on vacation. (He actually was, but I am not sure he would be a good reference). I also gave them several other coworkers. They decided they liked me well enough to skip the supervisor one. They were ready to offer me the job, but I accepted another one. They did call me on the weekend to see if I would change my mind and work for them! So for the right candidate people will break their rules.
This week I was in the final stages, and the hiring manager asked for references. Sadly this was super last minute, and I hadn't prepped any references or recruited former coworkers. In this case, my company is having "lay offs" and my boss is leaving too, but she and my company CEO offered to be references up front. The hiring manger did call my references and wanted all types. My boss confirmed she gave me a glowing review. The other references responded to her inquiry but I don't think she talked to most of them. I had to dig up a client reference too. In the end, I was offered the job a couple hours later.
I recommend that in every job you keep in touch with one friendly coworker to vouch for you! I've got 1-2 from every job in the past decade give or take.
My problem is that I taught English overseas for more than 10 years and my references don't get back to anyone. I just left a job that had a psychopath ***** with a terminal case of PMS. I'm considering using careerexcuse.com for that reason!
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In a forest of wolves you can't be the sheep. There has been so much hateful bias against the unemployed, I don't think they have a choice if they want to survive. Or they can go live in the tent city in Lakewood, NJ. Oh...wait...they can't now because the cops have demolished their tent city and forced them out.I don't know is it better to be kicked out from your tent city or fake job references, get a job and prevent losing your apartment/home? Isn't this a no brainer question
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