As a candidate, do you reference check your potential employer? If you haven’t, you should!

There are many articles and posts that talk about how employers invest time in reference checking candidates before hiring them. Today, I’d like to share the steps you can take to reference check your future potential employers.

Here are some tips:

1. First, you need a strong network. This goes back to why it’s important not to burn bridges—maintain good relationships with colleagues, address conflicts instead of sweeping them under the rug, and be of value to others. You never know when you might need help, and it’s always good to have people you can call for a favour!
2. Second, check where your future supervisor worked in the past. Do you know anyone who may have worked with or for them? This is the time to reach out and get a reference. If you don’t know anyone directly, ask someone in your network who might be connected.
3. Third, if you really can’t connect the dots, LinkedIn is a great tool to reach out to a stranger and politely ask about their experience working for your future employer. Research who has left the company you’re interviewing for and reach out to them.
4. Lastly, when you do a cold outreach, be direct about your purpose, assure them that you will keep the information confidential, and let them know you won’t take up too much of their time. Hopefully, this increases your success rate in getting a reference. Sure, they may or may not have good things to say, so apply discernment—you don’t want to overlook a great opportunity based on one person’s opinion.

Unorthodox? Maybe. But we know candidates who do this before deciding which offer to take.

Your manager has a direct impact on your promotions and career growth. Will they be an enabler or a hindrance? Managing this well is the first step to accelerating your success in a new workplace.