Surface Ripples

Should I Give My Manager’s Contact Details as a Referee?

 When looking to move on from our current job, the last thing we want is for our manager or supervisor to know, particularly if we don’t “get on” with them. 

To decide whether to give manager’s contact details, it helps to understand the hiring process.  Usually, one sends in a CV (either in response to a job advertisement, or on a “speculative” basis) or fills in an online application.  Based on the CV/application, the hiring manager decides whether to interview the applicant or not.  At this stage, they only know that the applicant “may” be the person they’re looking for.

Following the interview (or interviews), the hiring manager then decides whom they will hire.   Once this decision has been made, they move into “risk management” mode.

Hiring a new member of staff is a “risk” – one that we get right most of the time for various reasons.  Part of the risk management process is obtaining character and professional references for the applicant, and who better to ask than their current supervisor or manager?  However, if the latter is the reason that the applicant is looking for another job, the last thing we as hiring managers should be doing is making matters worse by contacting that manager and letting them know what’s going on.  There’s a very real risk that this could result in the termination of said applicant.  Equally, if they’re great friends, the result could be an almost too-good reference…

Applicants should always have two to three “referees” available to testify to their professional skills and character.  These need not be their current manager; in fact, it may be better (and result in a more objective opinion) if recruiters do not approach the applicant’s current manager.   If the applicant has a LinkedIn profile, this is also a potential source of references.

Whatever happens, we need to bear in mind that most references are likely to be fairly “neutral” as the referee won’t want to say anything that “may be used in evidence” against them later on.  

There are no reasons employees shouldn’t give their manager’s name if they want to and have the latter’s support in their search.  

Some employers may request in job advertisements that applicants list referees on their CV or application form.  Personally, I think this should be avoided for the very reason mentioned above, namely that they should decide based on the CV/application alone  whether to interview.   

Whomever applicants choose as referees, I suggest they always:

1. Get their agreement first and agree what they are to say - not so that they lie, but so that they highlight the aspects of the applicant of which they have genuine experience (they may also have useful insights for applicants at this stage);
2. Provide a copy of each CV and Cover Letter sent out so referees are ready for the call, if it comes.
3. Ask referees to let you know if the employer did contact them;
4. Thank them afterwards (whether you get the job or not).

Referees are a vital part of the job hunt and it’s important to choose carefully and brief them.  LinkedIn profiles should be as up to date as possible and we all need to make a practice of obtaining references as a matter of course.  In this way, applications for new jobs stand a higher chance of success.

I’ve spent more than half my life delivering change in different world markets from the most developed to “emerging” economies. With more than 20 years in international financial services around the world running different operations and lending businesses, I started my own Consultancy to provide solutions for improving performance, productivity and risk management.  I work with individuals, small businesses, charities, quoted companies and academic institutions across the world. An international speaker, trainer, author and fund-raiser, I can be contacted by email. My website  provides a full picture of my portfolio of services.  For strategic questions that you should be asking yourself, follow me at @wkm610.

Labels: Career

posted by William Martin @ 09:25