Has anyone ever been a Job Reference ?

hitrack

I'LL KILL YA ALL!!
Feb 25, 2003
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I've never had to be a job reference before, so I'm wondering what kinda questions you get asked and how long do you have to hang on the phone answering them. I can assume some, but I'm sure all kinds.

I'm sure someone here has had to do this before??

My niece is going through job hunting and wants to use me as a reference, but I just said "I suppose so"
 

hitrack

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Feb 25, 2003
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imrokhaard said:
Sounds like you really love her!
Yes....yes, I know. But I don't want to say no, nor do I want to be responsible for botching a potential job for her.
 

Hoops

Active member
Jul 17, 2005
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Usually only takes a few minutes.
They may ask: 'what are the applicant's weaknesses?'
or 'if the applicant is in this situation how would they respond?'

Be prepared for that crap and have some really nice things to say. Hope you don't have to bullshit too much.
 

hitrack

I'LL KILL YA ALL!!
Feb 25, 2003
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LOL man!!!!! You guys are as much help as titts on a fukkin door man. Thats why I love ya all!!

Thanks Hoops.
 

athaire

Inactive Pooner
Aug 18, 2006
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Land of the living skies
Done this

They will call and want to know about if she was reliable?
Can she work alone?
Can she work as part of a team?
They will ask about any info above these questions like did she have a good attitude, other employees get along with her, etc. etc.

Shouldn't take to long. Good for you for helping her out.
 

visiting

Active member
Oct 23, 2005
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right behind you!
Unless she is trying to get a job with security issues, chances, your not getting a call. In my case, when I have hired someone, I have never called any references. Do you really think she/he would give any bad references...? Anyway most references are family or friends (non work), so they would generally not have much knowledge of work environment. But I have called past employers.. (just not current ones).

In some cases companies hire employment agencies (happens often now) to find/interview they normally do a much more detailed back-ground check, and may contact you. And if they do contact you, they are just looking for character traits. Generally they first want to know if she is honest, loyal, on punctual, and sexy...(ok the last one is from everyone on the board) Then they may be checking to see if the information she said is accurate.
 
Aug 15, 2006
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Is she really young and this will be her first job?? If so it will be mainly character questions - seeing as you are whats called a "personal reference" as opposed to a "work reference." They'll just want to know if she's responsible, reliable, etc.
 

jakey_edwards

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Apr 15, 2005
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Potential questions

Given all the help and entertainment Hitrack has provided, here's an attempt to repay a tiny bit of the debt:

At my company we always check references. However, we generally go for the previous employers on the list. Personal references are used only in the event that the person does not have previous work experience. This may be the case with Hatrick's (young ?) neice. Even in those circumstances we'd prefer the reference to be a former teacher or guidance counsellor at school.

Typically we ask a mix of specific and open ended questions. Some of these may include?

  • How long have you know Ms. LookingForAJob?
  • What is/was your relationship to her?
  • What kind of employee/student is/was Ms. LookingForAJob?
  • What can you tell me about her work?
  • Was she puntual/reliable?
  • Did she always completer her assignments/homework on time?
  • What would you say are her strengths?
  • What areas would you say she needs to improve?
  • How did she work with her team/group?
  • How did she work by herself?
  • Would you consider her a team player?
  • Would you hire her again?
  • What would you consider best quality?
These are just some of the questions we typically ask, depending on the answer more probing may occur. Especially the type that ask the referee to provide an example of a situation.

Hope this helps.

JE
 

HeMadeMeDoIt

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Feb 12, 2004
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jakey_edwards said:
Given all the help and entertainment Hitrack has provided, here's an attempt to repay a tiny bit of the debt:

At my company we always check references. However, we generally go for the previous employers on the list. Personal references are used only in the event that the person does not have previous work experience. This may be the case with Hatrick's (young ?) neice. Even in those circumstances we'd prefer the reference to be a former teacher or guidance counsellor at school.

Typically we ask a mix of specific and open ended questions. Some of these may include?

  • How long have you know Ms. LookingForAJob?
  • What is/was your relationship to her?
  • What kind of employee/student is/was Ms. LookingForAJob?
  • What can you tell me about her work?
  • Was she puntual/reliable?
  • Did she always completer her assignments/homework on time?
  • What would you say are her strengths?
  • What areas would you say she needs to improve?
  • How did she work with her team/group?
  • How did she work by herself?
  • Would you consider her a team player?
  • Would you hire her again?
  • What would you consider best quality?
These are just some of the questions we typically ask, depending on the answer more probing may occur. Especially the type that ask the referee to provide an example of a situation.

Hope this helps.

JE

What he said!

Also:

1) Would you hire her again?
2) Do you think she has career aspirations that she has dicussed with you?
3) Can you provide an example where she has met or exceeded your expectations for a task you have assigned.
4) What areas do you feel that she would require more training and or support in?
5) How big are her tits?

LOL
 

dipitydoo

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Oct 23, 2002
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jakey_edwards said:
These are just some of the questions we typically ask, depending on the answer more probing may occur.
hitrack, get ready then for some PROBING!!! (I hope not the anal kind) hehehe :D
 

sunnysideup

Member
Mar 7, 2003
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Vancouver Island
The best reference in the circumstances

I don't know how true this story is but it's funny so I'll tell it anyway.

A former employer was once asked to write a letter of reference for a very nice, but very lazy, former employee. He liked the guy and didn't want to spoil his chances for the new job but he didn't want to lie either. So he thought about it for a long time, then grabbed his pen and wrote, "You will be fortunate indeed, if you can get Mr. Jones to work for you."
 

hitrack

I'LL KILL YA ALL!!
Feb 25, 2003
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sunnysideup said:
"You will be fortunate indeed, if you can get Mr. Jones to work for you."
LOL!! Good one.

Thanks all for the help. Believe it or not :eek: And yes she is 18, or is it 19 ?? But anyways this is her first more serious job, or atleast attempt to get one. Big tit's???? I'm not supposed to notice things like that.
 

Sonny

Senior Member
Sep 12, 2004
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hitrack said:
My niece is going through job hunting and wants to use me as a reference, but I just said "I suppose so"
Since you are not her employer, your reference can be only of the "character" variety, so expect questions such as "what kind of student was she in school", "is she a dependable person", "does she persevere in the face of challenges", "would you say she is an introvert or extrovert
", "does she get along well with others", etc.

Since you will be known to be a relative, the caller will assume you will be casting the best light on your niece, so refrain from being over-glowing in your description of her. If the caller asks about her general skill-set, be realistic in your reply, as it will work out best for your niece if she is a good fit for the job to which she applied, rather than getting into a difficult situation that ends in a bad way.
 

JustAGuy

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Jul 3, 2004
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sunnysideup said:
I don't know how true this story is but it's funny so I'll tell it anyway.

A former employer was once asked to write a letter of reference for a very nice, but very lazy, former employee. He liked the guy and didn't want to spoil his chances for the new job but he didn't want to lie either. So he thought about it for a long time, then grabbed his pen and wrote, "You will be fortunate indeed, if you can get Mr. Jones to work for you."
That's classic, sunnysideup! I've worked with a LOT of people over the years about whom that would be the perfect thing to say in a reference. I've written it down for future ... ummm ... reference. :)
 

Avery

Gentleman Horndog
Jul 7, 2003
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Winnipeg
sunnysideup said:
A former employer was once asked to write a letter of reference for a very nice, but very lazy, former employee. He liked the guy and didn't want to spoil his chances for the new job but he didn't want to lie either. So he thought about it for a long time, then grabbed his pen and wrote, "You will be fortunate indeed, if you can get Mr. Jones to work for you."
That's a wonderful anecdote! Too bad it will sail over the heads of the (many) illiterates on this board!:(

It reminds me of an anecdote involving Henry Ford, He was asked by an interviewer, "So, Mr. Ford, how many people work for you?" He replied, "About half." :D
 

total hemi

New member
Dec 26, 2004
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Hitrack
I've acted as a reference literally hundreds of times since I've employed well into the thousands of different employees.
If you are being called as a job reference, then what potential employers want to hear(obviously varies drive thru window girl vs editor of O magazine) are:a) always on time and rarely misses work, b)willing to learn and be trained c)sociable and plays/works well with others d) transportation equipped(depending on type of job) e) willing to stick with a job to gain experience.
What you say may vary depending if you are acting as a character reference or masking as a past employer. Myself I don't put a lot of weight on the references, so don't sweat about it. Many potential employers never call.
By the way I am looking for topless housecleaners.

My favourite quote "No one's life is a total waste, you can always serve as a bad example"
 

dirtydan

Banned
Oct 7, 2004
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hitrack said:
I've never had to be a job reference before, so I'm wondering what kinda questions you get asked and how long do you have to hang on the phone answering them. I can assume some, but I'm sure all kinds.

I'm sure someone here has had to do this before??

My niece is going through job hunting and wants to use me as a reference, but I just said "I suppose so"
My experience has been that it's a bad move to use family members, including those outside of the immediate family. Use friends, co-workers and bosses.

When a company does phone one they want to know is if you have worked with the applicant. That's why co-workers and bosses are important. But if one doesn't have work experience then of course using friends as references is obvious. Give straight answers because the questions you'll be asked will likely be concerned with the applicant's work ethic. If you can't give straight answers then don't be a reference OR be a terrific bullshitter! :D

I've been asked things like how long I have known the applicant, if I worked with them and for how long, and what qualities to do they have. So if you know a person pretty good then the answers will come to you very easily. If not then the employer might wonder about the applicant's choices for references. ;)
 

john23

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Apr 1, 2006
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dirtydan said:
My experience has been that it's a bad move to use family members, including those outside of the immediate family. Use friends, co-workers and bosses.
That's what I've seen as well. In fact, usually you aren't allowed to use friends and family members.

I've been a reference for some of the coop students that worked under me. Generally, the best answers to give are actual examples of what the interviewer is asking for. Its far more believable.

In my experience the interviews never lasted more than about 5 min.

Thought the best response I've ever heard was:
Interviewer: I'm calling about So-and-So who is applying to work Somewhere.
Reference: When did he get out of jail????
 
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