How To Handle Bad References

In a very competitive job market, employers want to hire people who are proven to succeed with minimal risk.Bad references can affect your candidacy.If you find yourself in a situation where you have at least one bad reference, it is important to take necessary steps to minimize the negative impact it will have on your job search.

Step 1: Do you know the potential of a bad reference?

It is up to you to identify the potential of a bad reference when giving a reference to a potential employer.You can submit reference letters or contact information.The purpose of a reference is to back up your qualifications.If this person will say good things about you, you have to ask them to be a reference.Take a moment to look at your relationship thus far.Is there a reason this person doesn't give a good reference?Is there any working or personal issues that were the best?Do not use this person as a reference if you have doubts about their ability to get the job.References were only sought by the potential employer.Previous supervisors, colleagues, and previous HR representatives can be included.You don't have control over this type of reference because you never know who will contact these individuals.If you have had issues with a potential reference contact, try to take measures listed below to minimize your risk of damage to your candidacy.

Step 2: There is a research company policy on references.

It is possible to understand each company's policy on reference checks by contacting HR or looking in your employee handbook.If you are contacted by a potential employer, your current or previous companies may only give you certain information.If the company is allowed to confirm certain information, a bad reference may not be a problem.

Step 3: If you have someone call on your behalf, you can see what is said.

If you want to find out what is said about you, you can have a friend or reference-checking service contact your current or previous employers.If there is a strong chance of a bad reference, it is best to ask more questions about title and dates of employment.Asking about your abilities, skills, work ethic, punctuality, and character, whether they are allowed to answer or not, will let you know what will be said to real employers and allow you to plan for the bad reference.

Step 4: Multiple good references will eliminate potential contact with a bad reference.

It is possible to eliminate the need to contact a potentially bad reference by providing more information from other good references.It is possible to eliminate the need to contact anyone else by providing contact information and reference letters from a mix of current and previous supervisors, colleagues and mentors.There should be at least three to five good references.

Step 5: If statements are incorrect, contact HR.

It is a good idea to contact the company's HR department if you feel that the information provided during the reference check is incorrect.Explain to HR that you are looking for a job, and they have chosen to contact this company to conduct a reference check.I was told I couldn't change my shift time.John and I worked extra hours to make up for time missed at work.We had an understanding that this was a temporary situation.Due to the temporary situation, John and I should not be a factor moving forward.The bad reference will most likely be asked to modify their response.

Step 6: Tell the potential employer about the situation.

To prevent a bad reference from being contacted or given, it is best to speak honestly about the situation to the potential employer.When talking about the reason for a bad reference and telling your side of the story, you can reduce the negative impact it may have.You can say, "We parted ways because of our differences" instead of "I was fired because my boss hated me."

Step 7: Good references should be provided to counteract the bad reference.

If you have received a bad reference, it's important to forget about it.Good references will negate or diminish the bad reference.If you get one bad reference about punctuality, but 3 other references explain that you have been on time in the past, it raises doubts about your issue.

Step 8: Accept what happened and move on.

To counteract a bad reference, follow the steps above.You may still be stuck with a bad reference because of your work history.It's not a good idea to dwell on a bad reference.Don't give up on your job search.You will find a company that will hire you regardless of this reference.