Hi everyone,
I need some very quick advice on a work matter -- I'm hoping someone can help!
Okay, as part of my job I routinely supervise unpaid student interns. One of my former interns is on the job market, and he mentioned that he's applying for a certain positon. Everything good and normal so far.
Thing is, he's asking if I would mind calling the employer and recommending him over the phone, to help him stand out from the millions of other applicants. This is beyond my serving as a reference, which I'm happy to do; it would mean my cold-calling this employer. If I knew anyone there I'd be happy to put in a word, but they don't know me from Adam. This job is also in a different subspeciality than mine. Same general field, but my credentials might not mean much to this employer, and vice versa.
So, this request felt weird and awkward to me, but I really can't think of a reason to say no. Wouldn't do me any harm, right? And good karma, because I'd love to have someone do the same for me. But ... I don't know. My initial response was reluctance. However, that could very well be becuase I'm shy, private, and reserved to a fault (and it really can be a fault in some situations!), so the most natural, everyday action -- picking up the phone and giving someone a call -- can sometimes feel very daunting to me. I'd love to hear how someone more "normal" and a little less outreach-averse would feel about this.
Thanks to all!
Mira
Thanks for all the great advice! I wound up sending him the following email:
"Dear ____,
I would be more than happy to put in a call on your behalf.
The one question I can't answer is whether it'd be a good idea for me to do so, since I'm not familiar with this practice. (Certainly I'm familiar with the practice of people recommending prospective employees to their friends and colleagues, but I don't know how common it is for former supervisors to call prospective employers when the two aren't acquainted.)
I rather suspect it wouldn't hurt, though, and I'm certainly happy to do so. I'll call tomorrow morning, unless I hear from you otherwise."
What I decided in the end is that it wouldn't hurt me to make this call -- my employer does not have rules against it. And when given the opportunity to help someone in a way that does me no harm, I felt like I couldn't say no. However, I did feel like I should tell my former intern that this wasn't necessarily standard practice, and let him take on the responsibility of deciding whether it'd be a good idea.
Thanks again to all!
As an employer and someone who is asked to make references this would not bother me at all. Doing it, or being the person who received the call. I would call ad say 'I believe Jim Crane has applied for a position with you. I am a referee for Jim and I wanted to take this opportunity to let you know how outstandingly he performed when he was interning with us.' etc.
It is not the proper protocol. Did the applicant (your intern) provide you with a name and number of a contact person to reach out to directly? Honestly the applicant doesn't even know if he is even in serious consideration for this position.
I would consider writing him a general letter of recommendation based on his work ethic there and only provide a verbal information in conjunction with your company's policy. Placing this call or responding to a call of this nature could put your job at risk depending on your company's policy. Check with HR to find out what the policy is.
In my company only HR is permitted to give out recommendations for former or current employees because of difficulties in the past which have lead to law suits. Find out what the policy is and just let him know you will have to find out what the policy is before you can respond.
please check with your HR dept as well.....our HR policies states that we can only specify the time of employment and whether an ex-employee/intern is eligible for re-hire or not....we can't say anything else due to legal reasons....
I too would be uncomfortable in this situation and basically just let the other person know that you will be happy to be a reference for them but cold calling someone is not a standard practice and it doesn;t feel very professional to do so......
I don't think you should do it. Esp since you are shy and uncomfortable with this kind of thing. It may even hurt his chances if you are not able to properly communicate with the contact. Also, I don't think it is appropriate. This should only be asked if you actually know the other person. 'Maybe' shoot and email at the most.
Do it for him-you will just need to say a few positive things-have a list ready-and it will mean the world to your former intern-and it will make you look like a really wonderful person! Wouldn't you want someone to speak on your child's behalf-of course!
I say no. I mean, they might think you are his momma, posing as someone else, and putting in a good word for him. I think it would be weird to call them anyway. I'd just say that if THEY CALL YOU that you will give him a great reference, no question about that.
I'm wondering what the norm is in your industry. If someone is checking references, wouldn't they then call you if he was a candidate for their job offer?
Granted, this was years ago, but my boss during my unpaid internship allowed me to use her as a reference and wrote me a generic reference letter (several copies printed on company letterhead) to discuss my internship.
I would NOT do it. Why? because you DO NOT know the people. I would offer to write a letter of recommendation for him. But I would NOT call.
It has nothing to do with being shy. You want to help him - great!! however - if I knew someone at the company - great - do it in a heart beat.
If I felt strongly that he is qualified for the position and would make an excellent employee, yes, I would make a call to someone I did not know. As an employer, I would be impressed with a candidate who had a reference that would go out of their way to call me.
I would write notes for myself to have in front of me, what are his good qualities? "good with people" "takes on extra responsibility" " always prompt" Why am I calling?
Try to guess what questions they might ask and be prepared. You can admit you cannot speak to certain specific things, only to his work ethic or his performance in your area.
"he's asking if I would mind calling the employer and recommending him over the phone, to help him stand out from the millions of other applicants. This is beyond my serving as a reference, which I'm happy to do; it would mean my cold-calling this employer. If I knew anyone there I'd be happy to put in a word, but they don't know me from Adam. This job is also in a different subspeciality than mine. Same general field, but my credentials might not mean much to this employer, and vice versa."
Change the appropriate pronouns to address this pargraph to the applicant. I would be very uncomfortable cold calling anyone for anyone.....
I think giving him a letter of recommendation is more appropriate.
It feels weird and awkward because it is not commonly done.
A way to recommend this young man to potential employers is to have him build a profile on LinkedIn.com, if he hasn't already, and then write a recommendation that he can post there. 95%+ employers (based on a study done by my current employer, and outplacement company) check LinkedIn to view a candidate's profile and also search the site for potential candidates. They are expecting to see recommendations there.
As a former recruiter, I would not have appreciated a call from you in this young man's behalf. As someone else said, I have no idea who you are. I could easily have taken someone out of the running because of this.
I would take the more traditional route and write him a letter of reference. He could then forward it along to the potential employer as part of his application packet.
As someone who was one the hiring side before - a cold call from a stranger, on behalf of an applicant, would probably have annoyed me. Especially if the application instructions say "no phone calls please" which many do nowadays.
But do write him a glowing reference letter.
:)
Personally, I wouldn't do it. I would write a wonderful reference letter but other than that, nope. Especially if I didn't know anyone. If I'm hiring someone and "someone" calls me and says they are a former "supervisor" of a candidate, I'm going to wonder WTH? He is applying for the job, he hasn't even had an interview, has he? Nope not a good idea.
