You’ve decided what career direction you want to follow, you’ve prepared an impactful CV, youve refined your interviewing skills, and you’ve job searched all over Ireland!

The final stage of your job search will be the reference stage

Reference checking is the 2nd last stage in the job hunting process, with the final stage being package and contract delivery. One of the most important things to remember when selecting your referees is that they are aware of your work experience, and are not someone who was at peer level who was a friend. This will be detected immediately. It’s vital that you give your referees a call to give them advance notice if an organisation is going to be in contact. It will work far more favourably if your referee is prepared and expecting their call. If you have had a good relationship with your referee, it is also very important that you provide them with as much information about the role you are pursuing. As a result, they can tailor their responses if they are really on your side. When selecting your references, ensure you select someone who is forthcoming and communicative. There is nothing worse than a referee who only supplies yes / no answers, purely because it’s not their style. It gives the impression that the person wasnt impactful and they arent all that fussed spending the time vouching for them! This is not the case in 90% of cases so make sure you select someone who is going to give some detail and put some effort into helping you close the job searching process once and for all.

Nowadays, particularly with the banks, they will not provide formal references. If at all possible, try see if you can get an “off the record” reference if this is the case

Below are samples of the typical questions an organisation will ask your referees:

Standard reference check questions include:

What was (candidate’s) period of employment?

Please outline (candidate’s) position and responsibilities?

Reviewing (candidate’s) resume, does this job title and job description match the position that the candidate held?

What was (candidate’s) reporting structure?

If (candidate) did not report to you, what was your working relationship?

How long have your worked with /known (candidate)?

What was (candidate’s) reason for leaving your company?

Can you tell me (candidate’s) salary at the time of leaving?

How would you describe (candidate’s) punctuality?

Could you rate (candidate’s) reliability?

How would you describe (candidate’s) honesty and integrity?

How did (candidate) get along with co-workers and management?

If (candidate) supervised/managed any employees, how would you describe her/his supervisory/management skills?

Describe (candidate’s) ability to handle pressure? Can you give me an example?

Ability to organize, prioritize and manage time?

Ability to handle conflict?

Ability to work as a team member?

How would you rate (candidate’s) communication skills?

Please describe (candidate’s) work ethic?

Please describe the quality of (candidate’s) work?

What do you consider (candidate’s) key strengths?

What would you consider to be (candidate’s) areas for improvement?

What would you say was (candidate’s) biggest accomplishment while working at your company?

How would you rate (candidate’s) overall job performance?

Was (candidate) ever promoted while working at your company?

(Candidate) is being considered for the following position, do you think he/she is a good fit?.

Theoretically, would you re-employ him/her?

Is there anything else you would like to add about (candidate)?