The employment relationship is supposed to be based on mutual trust and communication. In reality, the trust and communication burden often runs in one direction.  At no time is the imbalance more pronounced than during the recruiting process. Recruiting should be a mutual feeling out period. But while job candidates are expected to provide persuasive evidence of their brilliance, companies too often cover up their warts. That’s why it’s so important for you men and women of safety to do your own reference checks on prospective employers before agreeing to work for them.

The Reference Check Process

It’s perfectly understandable for companies to check references and even, in some cases, credit background and academic credentials before asking job candidates to join their organization. But the recruiting process works both ways. The company isn’t just a buyer but a seller. And the job candidate isn’t just a seller but a buyer. Consequently, job candidates have every right to perform their own due diligence on prospective employers.

Moreover, it’s in their interest to do so. Just like job candidates do, companies often try to hide their warts during the recruiting process. Just think about the jobs you’ve had. How many of them turned out to be exactly the way the company representatives you interviewed with described them? And, yet, the thought of performing a reference or background check on the company recruiting them seldom occurs to most job candidates.

How to Perform a Reference Check on Prospective Employers

Because it’s not universally considered part of the process, there’s not a lot of collective wisdom for job candidates on performing reference checks on a prospective employer. So here are a few pointers:

Talk to Sources within the Company

Part of the interviewer’s role is to cast the company in a positive light and sell you on its virtues. But some of the individuals you encounter during the recruitment and interview process may be willing to speak openly without simply pronouncing the “party line.” So, keep your eyes open for individuals that you can cultivate for “off the record” conversations about the company. Phone these persons after you get an offer and ask them if there’s anything you should know about the company before accepting the position. Ask them if they’d accept the offer if they were in your shoes knowing what they do about the company and its people. Assure them that you’ll keep their response strictly confidential.

Talk to Former Employees

Talk to former employees, especially those who held the position you’ve been offered. Find out why they left and whether they’d return if given the opportunity. Ask about all aspects of the organization and the people within it. For obvious reasons, former employees are more likely to furnish candid answers. But they might also have an ax to grind. You need to factor this into the equation.

Talk to Future Co-Workers

Try to get to know the people you’ll be working with in a social situation. Listen carefully to how they talk about the company, co-workers, customers and their jobs. Observe their attitude and morale.

Talk to Customers and Former Customers

You can find out a lot about companies by talking to their clients and customers. Identify the individuals at client companies who deal directly with your potential employer. Ask for their opinion of the company and the individuals who work for it. Also talk to former clients and find out why they no longer do business with the company.

Investigate If Company Is Involved in Any Legal Issues

Check the public legal records to determine whether the company or its leaders are involved in any major lawsuits. Nowadays, just about all companies have some legal issues. But if the number of lawsuits is inordinate, it should raise a red flag, especially if the company is being sued by employees or former employees. Keep in mind that personal lawsuits involving high ranking company officials—bankruptcies, divorces, criminal indictments, etc.—can also have an impact on the company and its finances.

Conclusion

I know that the job market is terrible and that it’s not easy to say no to an offer. Eventually, that will change. In the meantime, one thing is certain in all markets: Finding out that your new employer misrepresented itself during the recruitment process will set back your career and expose you to professional anguish that you might easily have avoided. So I implore you to remember that recruiting works both ways and that you shouldn’t say “yes” to a company without thoroughly checking its references.

Wishing you career success,

Lauryn Franzoni
ExecuNet, www.execunet.com

Story Tools:  Email This Post  Print This Post Top