Rita Ashley, Career Coach. Field tested advice for executives.

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By admin, September 12, 2008 8:56 pm

Not everyone has a spotless work history. In fact, most successful executives have probably been fired or eased out of a job or two. Bad references happen. It isn’t the end of the world, though it can feel that way.

If you know someone is going to say something negative, it is advisable to warn those who will contact them. See the blog on steps to take.

Beyond your knowledge of who would give a bad reference are references from people other than those on your list. It is an urban myth that companies don’t offer references beyond dates of employment and title. While that is the rule, savvy employers use their network for informal reference checking.

You have no idea to whom they will speak or what they will discover; typically, those who eliminate you based on those references will not disclose who said what. While you have a right to know what is said formally, it is almost impossible to hold the employer responsible to share those informal references.

Your challenge is to divine what was said. It is less important to discover who said it because you don’t want to confront the individual and worsen your plight. You do want to learn what was said so you can offset any future damage to your job search.

There are two paths towards fixing this. One requires a huge amount of introspection. Be critical about what someone from your past might have said that is serious enough to rule you out of consideration. The other path is to approach the reference checker and appeal to their sense of fairness.

Don’t ask to be reconsidered and don’t become defensive. Simply state: “I am at a loss to figure out what might have been said to take me out of the running in this job. I appreciate you cannot disclose who you talked with, but in order for me to continue my job search and land a job, it would help to know what was said so I can offset the concern for future employers. Will you help?”

Beyond that, you can ignore bad references and hope it doesn’t happen again. If it does, consult with a Job Search Coach. If you are not prepared to take that route and the problem persists, you may want to try consulting for a while to reestablish your credibility.

Another means by which companies vet candidates is the Internet sites you frequent. It is not unlikely that a prospective employer will read your blog, twitter and myspace entries. Be scrupulously judicious in your use of any online forum. What you say is visible to the world, literally. It may not be fair, but it is true. For more discussion on networking sites and references, check out The Riley Group.¼/p>

If you have a problem with bad references, consider targeted job search coaching. Learn more at www.jobsearchdebugged.com.

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By admin, September 10, 2008 8:23 pm

Sometimes, a job is just not a good fit. Or circumstances conspire to limit your ability to perform. And every once in a while, you just don’t get along with your boss. Enter bad references.

Is this the end of your career? It doesn’t have to be. My advice is to hire a respected job search coach; clearing your name can be a long term project. Since that probably isn’t your first choice, here are a few suggestions to mitigate the damage bad references can cause.

If possible, talk to the reference to invite them to balance the reference with a few positive remarks.

Even if they agree, find several references you can add to the list who cancel out the bad report.

Prep them about the sensitive areas.

When you talk to those who will check references, give them a heads up: “Ralph and I butted heads on more than one occasion. We didn’t agree on process and I was foolish to challenge him one too many times. I learned since then how to present my ideas in a more non-confrontational manner and to move on when things don’t go my way.”

Always acknowledge the bad reference and the role you played. The important message is what you learned from the situation so it won’t happen again.

Initiate a conversation about the references so the hiring company is not blind sighted. If they are warned about specifics, they sometimes take the complaints less seriously. Especially if you appear to have learned from the situation.

Don’t be overly contrite. Your self confidence and track record, sans bad references, need to be strong and clear. Explain how the circumstances will not occur again and why and you still have a shot at a decent job. Years from now, when you leave this employer with a spotless record, the bad references will vaporize.

For more support with bad references, consider Selective Coaching.

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