When a company requests references with a job application, you might be tempted to skip it, thinking, “Doesn’t my work history speak for itself? Won’t my references all just say good things about me? Do employers even call references?” However, according to a new study from CareerBuilder, employers definitely pay attention to what your references say. In fact, 69 percent of employers say they’ve changed their minds about a candidate after speaking with a reference…
References do matter to potential employers, and they come up earlier in the hiring process than you may think. According to the study, 80 percent of employers said they do contact references when evaluating potential employees. Sixteen percent of those employers will contact references even before they call the candidate for a job interview
What your references say about you could make or break a job offer. Sixty-nine percent of employers said they have changed their minds about a candidate after speaking with a reference, with 47 percent reporting they had a less favorable opinion, and 23 percent reporting they had a more favorable opinion.
However, not everybody is convinced references matter. Thirty-one percent of those surveyed said references haven’t swayed their decisions on a candidate one way or the other…
Choosen excerpts by Job Market Monitor from
via Do references matter in a job search? | The Work Buzz.
Related Posts
Job Search Tolls: 50 Objectives statements to customized and Google’s Online Free Resume Template
Many of the objective statements below are short, but that’s about all they have going for them. Most are too general. You can and should change your resume to fit every employer and job you apply for.
Cover Letters / Tools and Tips
Give Recruiters a Reason to Read Your Cover Letter Next time you’re preparing to fire off a resume and your cover letter template… don’t. Instead, take 15 minutes to find out who’s on the receiving end of your inquiry. Find out his or her career and background before you write your sales letter… and personalize … Continue reading »
Job Search on Craigslist / 5 Red flags
If ever there were a go-to place for, well, everything, Craigslist might just be it. Founded in 1995 as an email list of events happening in the San Francisco area, Craigslist has grown to be one of the most well-known websites for free classified listings and community forums. From housing to garage sales to personal ads to, … Continue reading »
The 25 Best Blogs for Coping With Unemployment
Onlinecollege.org has published a list of the 25 Best Blogs for Coping With Unemployment If you’re unemployed, you should know that you’re not alone. Fellow unemployed individuals, job search resources, frugal living blogs, and even news sources all exist to help you get through this dark spot and on to gainful employment. We’ve compiled a … Continue reading »
Internet Job Search / Cuts Unemployment Duration by 25%
“While the Internet has been found to reduce trading frictions in a number of other markets, existing research has failed to detect such an effect in the labor market” write Peter Kuhn and Hani Mansour in Is Internet Job Search Still Ineffective? on iza.org.(Adapted Choosen excerpts by Job Market Monitor to follow) No more… In their … Continue reading »
Job Market Monitor 
Reblogged this on Kim Bethke, Career Guerilla.
Posted by kimberleybethke | November 28, 2012, 2:38 pm