Q: I am down to the final three for a job and I think I might be about to get it because they have asked me to supply them with a reference from my recent employer apart from my current. However, I had an uneasy relationship with the managing director (MD) there and I’m afraid if I give his name as a referee it will rebound on me when they contact him. What should I do? (AC, email)
A: There is no requirement to give the MD as your referee. You are entitled to put forward the name of a person who managed you and who is likely to give a good account of you – this could be your department manager, supervisor or, if the picture happened to hang properly, the MD. It’s your choice.
People can get very uptight about having some bad relationships or career blips in their past. The reality is that these issues occur at some time for almost everyone and the trick now is to simply give the name of the person who will speak best of you.
You should also prepare your referee for that call. Tell them about the new role, the kind of work you will be doing there and the skills you will be deploying, so that they can prepare an answer to complement the employers’ needs.
To quote a famous politician, ‘’just get it done’’. Get the right person speaking for you. Onwards and upwards and hopefully you will get the job offer you feel is imminent.
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