Are background checks a formality?

In other words, once you've made it to the reference check stage, are you virtually guaranteed to get the job?

No.

As a recruiter, I've seen jobs lost at the reference check stage when the references don't speak as highly of the job searcher as the hiring manager would have liked.

The reference check stage tends to be one that job searchers often don't take very seriously and I'm always amazed when this happens.

One of the biggest mistakes that people make at the reference check stage is thinking that it simply involves giving the potential hiring manager a list of names of people that they've worked with in the past and assuming that everything will work out.

Once, I got a call from a call out of the blue from a guy who asked me if he could do a reference check on a woman I'd worked with over one year earlier. The call took me by surprise because I hadn't spoken with this lady since we'd worked together (ie. over one year earlier) and I had no idea she was looking for a job or that she was using me as a reference!

It took me about a minute into the call before I actually realized what was going on. Since I was working as a recruiter, I was used to doing reference checks on people, not being used as a reference check so this call really surprised me since I hadn't been warned.

What she should have done was:

1. Ask me ahead of time if it was ok to use me as a reference. I would have had no problem being used as a reference but she should have asked.

2. Let me know right before a company might be calling me to do a reference check on her.

3. Let me know what sort of job she was interviewing for so during the reference check, I could highlight skills that she has that would be relevant to the job.

Actually, that would be point number 4 that she should have done: She should have let me know if she got the job after I completed the reference check. It would have been nice to know the result.

It would have made it easier and more productive if she had done a few simple things to make her reference (ie. me) more aware of what was going on and how I could help her.

Carl Mueller is an Internet entrepreneur and professional recruiter who wants to help you find your dream career.

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