After the interview, the real work begins.

For me the hardest part is always checking references.  Employers today understand the game we all play with references.  Because of legal threats and issues, employers often only admit that the applicant worked at their company and for a specified period of time.  It is very hard to get a sense of how someone performed at a company and even anything on his or her attitude.  It is almost a waste of time to call a reference.

One applicant really helped his case with me.  At the end of the interview, I asked if he had any questions of me or if he would like to comment on his references…what they would tell me about him and his work at those companies.  The applicant said,  “I know you are busy, and so I have taken the liberty of asking my references to write a letter for me.  You can read through these letters at your convenience.”

At the time, I thought, what an interesting approach, but doesn’t he know that this is not really done?  I glanced through his reference letters, and in truth, I got engaged with his employer and in their comments about this applicant.  They told me things about him I would not have discovered, one said he put himself through college working nights—I was beginning to like the applicant more and more.