Checking up
Every so often someone asks me to write a reference for them, and almost invariably I agree to do it. And then, sometimes, I find myself struggling to think what I could possibly write. Very often the person asking me might be someone I knew (taught, perhaps) many years ago. Sometimes it can even be someone I don’t really know at all (though when that happens, I usually decline, as politely as possible). But if I have agreed to do it, I am faced with the need to be true to the person who has asked me while also being honest to the person who will read it.
And of course, quite often I find myself reading the references written by others when I am involved in appointing to a post. And almost immediately I recognise that others have the same dilemmas when they are writing references. Some referees have perfected the art of praising someone in glowing terms while saying absolutely nothing. They praise their manner and character, and assure me that Joe or Anna will be a credit to whatever institution decides to employ them; but when you look for any details at all about their experience or track record you don’t find anything.
No doubt this is not unique to higher education institutions, but I cannot remember when I last read a reference that made even a minor difference to my perception of a candidate for a job. When I did once get to read a reference that went into great detail and described a candidate who fitted the job requirements perfectly, I later found that the candidate had made up both the referee and the reference – and nobody realised it until quite some time afterwards.
The advent of freedom of information has added another dimension to the overpowering blandness of references, with referees concerned that the candidate will see what they have written. In addition, professional services have sprung up that make money from assistance with drafting references, or checking the reliability of references. The emergence of these industries does not instil confidence in the integrity of the system.
For all that, for those who are good at reading between the lines some information can still be gleaned from references. But not often. And it’s not consistent enough to make me feel that the whole exercise has a purpose. We do need to make informed recruitment decisions, while observing fairness and avoiding prejudice and bias. How we can still make the traditional practice of providing references work in that context I do not know. Maybe we need to re-think the whole framework of selection for employment.
PS: TCD senior law lecturer Eoin O’Dell has, since this post was written, also blogged on this topic, and adds some interesting legal material. You can read his piece here.
Tags: employment selection, references
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August 4, 2009 at 7:51 am
What meaningful can you say on one of these things that isn’t actionable thereby removing the necessity of the thing in the first place via the four goldmines. And reference in prose to Charles, George or Susan little tired and emotional issue in Telegraph obit speak would have similar result.
August 4, 2009 at 2:00 pm
References are, more often than not, hygiene factors. That is, a poor reference can cause disqualification whereas an extremely good reference rarely helps the applicant’s chances much more than a good reference.
More generally, it might be worthwhile to reconsider how DCU (and presumably other Irish universities) select applicants for employment. One year before I graduate from my doctoral program at a major overseas university, I am currently submitting applications to schools for faculty positions in North America, continental Europe and Asia. These positions are available from summer 2010.
DCU recently advertised a position in my subject field. I considered applying. The application style was idiosyncratic – if I remember correctly, there was a long form to be completed, but there was no request for copies of research papers. More importantly, it seemed that the vacancy would have to be filled within a few months. Adjusting to the schedule of the international academic job market might increase interest from outside Ireland.
If I’m honest, however, my decision not to apply was also caused by the uncertainty hanging over the prospects for faculty members in Irish universities.
August 4, 2009 at 5:12 pm
Donal, I think we are generally willing and able to be flexible in the timetable for appointment. However, I agree with you that a more general review of recruitment procedures would be a good idea.
August 5, 2009 at 7:14 am
[...] is the same in Ireland, in my experience. Indeed, Ferdinand von Prondzynski has recently gone so far as to say: I cannot remember when I last read a reference that made even a minor difference to my perception [...]
August 5, 2009 at 9:26 pm
I know one company that refuses to give any employees a reference beyond confirming the dates of employment. They SAY its because they don’t want to get sued if an employee works out badly. I think its just being mean or not wanting to say yes to some people and no to others. A blanket refusal is the easier path.
August 5, 2009 at 10:34 pm
That’s getting increasingly common in the Western world. It has far more to do with fear of being sued (by a former employee over a bad reference, or the hiring employer over perceived inaccuracies in the reference or character/performance flaws not mentioned) than being ‘mean’. There are generally three questions which will be answered by the manager – usually HR – giving the reference: confirming job title, confirming dates of employment, and ‘would you re-employ this person’.
Indeed, that final question is the one Cowan and Cowan identified in their 1989 article (Are References Worth the Paper They’re Written On? in Personnel Management) as the only question worth asking of a former employer in a reference check. They in fact predicted the decline in importance of the reference as a selection tool – in my experience now as an employment counsellor, references have become a ‘screening-out’ tool rather than screening-in, and are only taken up on the preferred candidate following interview and as a final ‘have we covered everything?’ check before making a job offer.
August 6, 2009 at 2:39 am
I agree with your assessment, Wendy. I often find now when I attend interviews (not in DCU) that the interviewers are not shown the references at all, and am told that they are collected but only used for the purposes of confirming basic background facts.
August 6, 2009 at 2:42 am
Sarah, there may be some substance to their fear – have a look at the post in Eoin O’Dell’s blog here:
http://www.cearta.ie/2009/08/the-decreasing-value-of-an-academic-reference/