You Should Hear How They Talk About You
Check My Reference
I had read about resume checking services for several years, but a recent job search and a well timed Wall Street Journal article prompted me to try the concept.
The idea is simple. Most organizations state that they will only verify your name, dates of employment and perhaps compensation and title. Too many lawsuits and the potential for unnecessary risk caused many Human Resources departments to stop all references — good and bad. Reverse searching shows you how your prior employers actually react when asked about your time with them.
Having spent five to ten years each at several companies and always leaving on good terms, I never saw the need to purchase this kind of service. A short stint at one organization led me to believe doing so might not be a bad idea, however. Especially appealing about Check My Reference was the company's promise of more information via tiered purchases. The basic purchase, $29.99 at this writing, reports on what the company says. More advanced and expensive packages promise to probe with multiple questions and report on vocal dynamics and other intangibles.
That last offering could prove very valuable. There is certainly a difference between saying, "Billy? I would be happy to verify his employment dates and title with you, but we don't provide any further information about anyone."
Compare that with this: "Oh...Billy. Well, our rules don't allow us to talk about an employee's performance or the circumstances regarding this termination. Let me give you his employment dates at least."
Both are perfectly legal, but the unspoken code of the HR brotherhood and sisterhood has a nuance mortals cannot understand. The latter is the equivalent to your old company emailing a skull and crossbones under your picture to the new potential employer.
Having reason to be suspicious, I ordered the advanced package. And waited. And waited. And waited some more. Part of the delay may have been my fault. Rather than Human Resources (the only entity I knew who should talk with them), I did as the company suggested and gave them my old manager's name and contact information. According to the company, and I have faith in their statements based on my own experiences, this direct supervisor — a senior manager — simply ignored multiple email and voice mail messages.
More About Check My Reference
A word to the wise here. The company told me that they present themselves as a potential employer and told me that they had access to "multiple" company names that would cloak their real identity. I'm not sure how the flap over pretexting caused by the HP board scandal will impact their business, but they are still accepting orders. My biggest concern, which I admit occurred to me long after I placed my order, is that large, savvy HR departments likely know the names these companies use. That may be a bit of paranoid thinking, but you don't pay someone these bucks if you don't honestly believe that a prior employer might retaliate.
Unfortunately, the person handling my case got nowhere, and I finally asked for a refund which was (perhaps grudgingly) granted. Shortly after that, a new person emailed me and suggested different approaches she would take. I asked her to stop and honor the refund, but I received an email shortly after reporting that she had contacted HR (who, as I knew, would tell her nothing) instead of the direct supervisor.
After a strident email, this new person agreed to stop contacting the company (I was worried about harassing them and having that reflect poorly on me). And weeks after my original request, the refund finally showed.
The Bottom Line, Clicks And All
Services like Check My Reference have received great media reviews. I even had an HR friend tell me she was going hire them to test her new rookie managers to ensure they complied with her company's policy. My personal situation didn't work out, and I have no idea how pretexting legislation will impact the company, but hiring them may be worth the time and money if you're unsure of what a former employer might say or even how they may say it.
