The challenges of looking for a job often motivate us to do things we never thought we would. Usually, this is a good thing: we step out of our comfort zones, make sacrifices, and face tough decisions in order to improve our chances of landing that job.
Sometimes, though, it brings out the worst in us. It can make us do things that we’re not supposed to be doing as professionals, and which we’ll inevitably regret later.
The thing is, it’s not always obvious right away what negative effects these questionable actions can have. So we’ve put together this handy multi-part guide to help you avoid them during your career-seeking.
JUST DON’T: CITE REFERENCES WITHOUT ASKING FOR THEIR PERMISSION
Having a trustworthy individual’s opinion on your side can be a powerful advantage when looking for a job. In fact, it’s something that will help you throughout your entire career. With how small the world of work really is, it’s very likely that someone you know is also connected to a potential employer or business partner.
These connections can also be relied on to confirm with others your most crucial qualities, such as your attitude, behavior, and history of professional conduct. That is, of course, if you really did exemplify such qualities. (Obviously, if you didn’t, then you have an entirely different concern that even connections can’t help you with.)
So suppose you have a former mentor or superior, who can honestly tell anyone who asks how you performed with excellence and fully professional conduct. That person is a suitable character reference you can cite on your profile. Ideally, you would have several references persons who all know your track record from school or previous employment.
Of course, it’s a given that these people have to be willing to speak on your behalf. Being your character references means that they will most likely receive calls or messages from your prospect employers while you’re undergoing the screening process.
That’s easy enough to ensure if you speak to them about it beforehand, preferably in person. If your chosen character reference was truly impressed with you during your time working with them, then they will likely be okay with responding to anyone asking them about you.
But some career-seekers make a critical error at this point: They don’t ask for permission to cite their connections as character references.
It may seem like a simple mistake at first, but it opens up other problems.
- The reference person may become upset. Especially since it would seem that the applicant didn’t even value their right to choose. It’s their right to give or deny their permission to be used as a character reference. When a candidate doesn’t give them the opportunity to make this choice, the professional relationship will be tarnished. The reference person may no longer have any confidence in recommending the applicant to a prospect employer.
- The reference person may even say unpleasant things about the candidate. There is a risk that a reference person who was not asked for permission to be cited may even do the opposite of recommending the applicant. They may point out flaws that can usually be considered minor, but which will seem significant because the reference person will emphasize them. Of course, they could also confess that the applicant did not ask for their permission, which is a red flag for professionalism.
These are all serious concerns that can lower a candidate’s chances of getting hired, so it’s best to do the right thing and ask for permission before citing your character references on your resumé or providing their details to your interviewer.
That includes having a proper conversation with them about it. Just sending them a lazy text or email about it won’t be enough. What matters is that they get the opportunity to respond to you and say whether they give their permission or not. Give them the proper respect as fellow professionals, and they’ll be much easier to get on your side.
After all, selling yourself to a potential employer is less of a challenge when someone is helping you make the pitch.