Strategic References

by Laura Gassner Otting, President, Nonprofit Professionals Advisory Group

(This article is excerpted Change Your Career: Transitioning to the Nonprofit Sector, Kaplan 2007)

 

Once you’ve mastered the interview, it’s quickly on to the reference-checking stage of the search. You may be asked for these references at the interview or soon thereafter, so it’s a good idea to have them prepped and ready.

Think of your references as an extension of your interview. Rather than your telling the search committee, again, how great you would be at this job, your references will do it for you. Be sure to choose references who can talk about the great work you’ve done with them in the context of your work in the nonprofit sector. If your references can only talk about your corporate prowess, they won’t help you and may even hurt you. Because you’ll need some references that can talk about your day job try, if possible, to pick people who have done some nonprofit volunteering—either with you or on their own—and can talk intelligently about how you would overcome any potential challenges.

Prepping Your References

Ask your references for permission before you list them. Prepare each by providing a current copy of your résumé, the job description, and some information about the organization. If appropriate, remind them about some of the exceptional things you did together that set you up for success in this new role.

Don’t be too prescriptive about talking points, but remind them that this is a sector switch for you and they may get some specific questions about how you would make that leap. Make sure they know why you think you would be right in this new position. Allow your references to ask any questions they have so that they can process this move with you, not with the headhunter.

Handling a Likely Negative Reference

At some point in the process, a good hiring manager will ask if there is anyone they cannot call. These are the “off-list” references, and any one of them might dredge up some bad news. If you know that something is coming—perhaps you are quitting your current job because your boss is horrible and no one leaves the department well—make sure you are honest with the hiring manager. Hearing bad news from you will usually inoculate you against any issues that may arise; not hearing it from you will make you look as though you were purposefully evasive and lessen your credibility throughout the rest of the process.

If there is something more serious—a criminal record, a failed credit rating, or a college degree not actually earned, for example—fess up immediately. Because nonprofits steward public money, they are often under high levels of public scrutiny. To
that end, many nonprofits insist on a criminal, credit, and educational background check by any number of private firms who do this sort of thing. They will find out what you are hoping to hide, and your only chance of inoculating yourself is to come out with it first and share the relevant context, rehabilitation, or remorse.

Thanking Your References

If you are searching for a job, your references most likely will get called several times at potentially inconvenient moments to laud your greatness. Keep them energized and engaged by actively appreciating them. Rather than sending an unnecessary gift, thank them with a note that updates them on your job search progress. Do not ask them if they were contacted—because they normally would be promised confidentiality by the recruiter—but they may still tell you. Either way, thank all of your references when the search ends, whether or not you get the job.