The shallow reference problem

The reason you didn’t get your dream job might be that your references don't know you as well as you think they do.

It's an iceberg problem; most of your value is hidden under the surface--hidden even from those who like you the most.

I'm embarrassed to say I've been this kind of reference before. The person was an impressive employee colleague. I don't have anything bad to say, but I don't have a lot of specific good things to say either. I'd like to think that I pulled it off and helped the person get the job, but I felt bad after the reference call, knowing I probably didn't help very much. 

The person on the other end of the call is probably thinking, "Why did the candidate choose this person to tell me about them?"

I think this happens more often than not. Good people don’t get the job they should have and they don't know why their dream job has passed them by. 

Let's design the opposite of this scenario:

Your dream job comes up. Before you can even hear about it and apply, they offer it to you. This happens every day. That's a situation where your abilities are well known to the market. 

The problem is worse for remote workers or professions like teachers, where your best work is done mostly independently, so people don't really know how you get your results.

The best way I’ve found to avoid this problem is to (in advance) share evidence of how you do what you do offline, but also online. Share helpful details of what’s worked for you, so people can see how you think and what you think about. Share your wisdom. Write in a helpful way, rather than an awkward, humble-brag way popular on LinkedIn. Be nice and helpful.

Share the checklist you're using now. Give it away for free, even though it's part of your secret-sauce and it was hard for you to come up with. 

Post it on your blog or LinkedIn Facebook or Pinterest, if people are still there. If you must you can use Twitter. Share your morsels of helpful tips which your referees will be able to look at before they're on a call about you. 

Let it be a an act of generosity. 

Then when you are applying for a job you can send those links to your references. Or you might just get offered the job without applying --because they already know you. 

I did this and it ended up making me my own boss, doing my perfect-fit work. You never know. 

Tim is available for online Zoom coaching, to help you do your best work. He is a fully trained performance coach and founder, with over 20 years of experience. 🚀 Click here to get started with Tim. 🚀