Professional References:

One of my top recruiters just dealt with a situation where someone refused to provide professional references. 

And not in a nice way.  She was a 20-year vet who felt her time in the industry should speak for itself. But let me ask you this…without references, how can I verify the 20-year vet is competent in her role? After all, the number of years someone has functioned in the role doesn’t necessarily equate to how good they are at the role.

Meaning, that the only way we can verify competency is via references. And honestly, why would any prospective employer accept only the candidate’s word when it comes to proving skills and competency in the role? 

It still surprises me when candidates don’t understand the importance of being able to provide strong professional references. So I thought I would pick up my pen and provide some insight and support on the topic. 

When Should You be Prepared to Provide References?

Always.

Being prepared to provide references was once a formality that many candidates didn’t prioritize. And honestly, most hiring managers didn’t ask for them. I must admit that I didn’t always ask for references when hiring for my internal team (always for clients but never for me). Instead, I went with my gut…and while my decisions were usually pretty good, in hindsight, going with your gut doesn’t make sense when hiring a key team member. 

And I am not alone, According to available data, about 20% of employers don’t check references before hiring a new team member.

Eek.

But in today’s very competitive market, candidates have to be able to provide strong work references and employers need to check them. Some sources state that approximately 20% of candidates are rejected after a reference check.

But, I would state that we eliminate approximately 40 percent of our candidate pool at the reference stage. And this isn’t necessarily because the candidate’s references provided poor feedback…although that happens. The reference process is a process. It is a test. 

And the real test is this: Did the candidate follow directions? Many don’t.

Who should be considered a Professional Reference?

While many companies allow colleagues to be professional references, we don’t.  Professional references should be able to speak to your capabilities as a CRA, and while colleagues may have some insight as to how others respond to you and your work effort, the most important reference is someone who has provided supervision or work direction to you – or someone you have provided oversight to.  

As it relates to supervisor references, these don’t necessarily have to be direct supervisors but should be individuals who have provided some type of work direction to you. For example, they can be Clinical Leads, Clinical Project Managers, CRA Managers, etc. You should look for individuals who can speak to the way you handle workplace challenges, your track record of meeting timelines, and your ability to provide high-quality deliverables. 

Additionally, our firm also asks for CRAs to provide site references. The sites where CRAs monitor are well positioned to provide feedback regarding the CRA’s industry knowledge and competency, responsiveness, and work ethic. 

How Do You Identify Quality References?

When selecting references, speak to individuals you would like to serve in this role before providing their information to a potential employer.  You have no idea how often we have references tell us no. Seriously: “She should have asked me to serve as a reference, I don’t feel comfortable providing feedback.”

Don’t let that be you. Never assume someone will be your reference. Always ask.

You will want to openly discuss their view of your competency, work performance, and ability to build effective rapport with team members. Speaking with a future reference can be a great way to gain professional insight and will also enable you to decide whether to actually put them forward as a reference.

But Don’t Wait Until You Need Them

It is your responsibility to cultivate relationships worthy of a good reference. Your references will provide a glimpse into your personality and work ethic. So be picky. Here is a list of the do’s and don’ts when it comes to providing  strong work references:

Here are your “Do’s”

• Follow the instructions given by the hiring team. Be sure to provide complete, correct, and accurate information in the format requested. 
• Pick references who are well-spoken. Practice typical reference questions with them if you want to be thorough.
• Discuss the job opportunity details with your references so they know what strengths should be highlighted. Oh, and discuss your weaknesses. Especially those that need to be minimized. For example, if the assignment is to re-monitor or rescue an oncology project, ensure your reference(s) are aware of the scope. This will enable them to speak to your oncology expertise as well as your experience rescuing projects.
• Be sure to pick a reference you have a positive professional relationship with and who you are absolutely sure will speak highly of you.
• Remember to ask permission to use someone as a reference, confirming that they will respond to the hiring team when someone reaches out to them. We often see references decline to provide a reference because they were never asked by the candidate. And yes, this does negatively impact the CRA’s candidacy.
• Keep your references as current as possible. A couple of years ago I had a gal provide a supervisor reference from 1998.  Jeepers, I was a bartender in 1998…anyone who would recommend me from that long ago would be recommending a ‘different me.’  We require our candidates to provide references from their most recently completed project so that we have current and up-to-date information on the candidate.
• Provide references quickly once requested as a delay may harm your candidacy.

Here are your “Don’ts”

• Never pick a family member, girlfriend/boyfriend, or anyone who has either a) not witnessed your work performance or b) doesn’t fall into the categories/roles provided by the hiring team.
• Don’t pick an employer or coworker with whom the relationship ended badly. This happens more frequently than you think. I just recently took a reference from a supervisor who simply stated: “I don’t know why she is using me as a reference because I fired her for non-performance.” 
• And never ask someone to falsify a reference for you. If you (and the fake reference) are found out, your reputation will be irreparably damaged.

In Closing

Ideally, a reference will be someone who has an impressive position or reputation. For example, selecting the Director of Monitoring as a reference will be more impressive than using the Lead CRA – as long as the Director can speak to your performance. While this is not a requirement, it is a great way to expand and legitimize your professional network. 

And make sure to take advantage of your professional references! They are great resources for advice as well as potential mentorships. Having good references is among the strongest recruiting tips we can offer CRA candidates because of the insight that they offer.

Gathering professional references and maintaining those relationships can seem like a lot of effort, but the payoff is tenfold. You are surely a great CRA with a stellar track record, so why not boost your brand by providing potential employers with other reputable sources who can echo your experiences and provide testimony to your outstanding performance? These details go a long way towards standing out from the candidate crowd and securing that perfect position with ease.