by Paul W. Barada
Monster Salary and Negotiation Expert
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The last article we ran about the more humorous side of the reference-checking business elicited so many additional stories from others that we decided to do a sequel.
Don't Go with Your Gut, Do a Reference Check
Larry Bertorelli writes: Once while I was comanaging a store, we were interviewing an older gentleman, seemingly professional, well-spoken and organized, for a stock position. The other manager insisted on making an offer immediately. I pushed for a reference check first. The first reference said the candidate was a "stand-up guy, hardworking and dedicated -- when he felt like it." When asked how this candidate interacted with coworkers and customers, the reference said, "He did very well when not cursing them out, which included cursing out his supervisor on the sales floor."
Just to be sure, I did a second check. After calling numerous locations where the candidate could have worked, it turned out that this particular chain of stores had never employed him. We had to say, "No thanks."
Not Quite Making the Grade
Karen Saunders writes: When doing a degree check on a candidate, the information the candidate gave us was way off compared to the school's records. In disbelief, I faxed the information to the university. The school faxed back the correct information. The candidate said he had a BA in accounting and a 3.4 GPA. According to the school, he had no degree and a 0.54 GPA.
People Change
Sonja writes: I was checking a very nice lady's references when finally, at the end of the conversation, her former supervisor said, "Why do you keep referring to him as 'her'?" I responded that the person I had interviewed was a female. The supervisor then explained that the candidate had been a male and was probably in the middle of "a change."
Down the Drain
Curtis Dunn writes: I was checking up on a reference for a Web master position, and after exchanging initial pleasantries with the reference, I heard an unusual sound in the background. After a few seconds, I recognized what it was. The guy was obviously using the bathroom. I thought maybe he was just running some water, but when he flushed the toilet that pretty much confirmed it for me. Needless to say, I pretty much discounted anything he had to say about the applicant.
It's a Bird, It's a Plane...
Joel Friedman writes: When I was checking the reference of a potential sales rep, his former manager answered the question, "Does he have any weaknesses?" with, "Yes, he's allergic to kryptonite."
Turning the Tables
Carol Bass writes: When I was interviewing for a job, one of my references called me to say that I ought to check my other references, since one of them was spreading a rumor about a problem in my background. The caller told me that after the prospective employer specified what the problem was, she asked if my reference had noticed the same problem, which, of course, my reference had not. So I was quite surprised when, the next day, the employer offered me the job, which I accepted.
About a year later, I was hiring new staff myself when my boss shared one of her interview tactics with me. When she could not find any problems in a candidate's background, she concocted a story about problems in the candidate's past and told it to the references, to see if any of it clicked. She thought it was rather brilliant and, when hiring me, lots of fun because my references were a real challenge -- she could not break them down. Then she commented about how surprised they must have been when she actually hired me. Guess I ran into a new breed of shark.
