I have a few flaky references, and I had to give them.

September 23, 2020 5:19 PM

I'm in the final round for a state government job (holy shit!! insert excitement/panic attack here!). They asked for extensive references from the bulk of my job history. Problem is I've mostly worked for ultra small companies, companies that have been bought out, or for managers that I have just no way of contacting at all (up to and including, dead, deported and heavily into drugs).

I've had two kinds of asks for references; one where they just call old HR departments and confirm employment, and those that are more personal and consist largely of 'folks i've worked with, some were managers, some were peers'

I've done my best and provided them with the contacts that I do have, but is this kind of spotty references going to sink me for a government job? Like, I know that one manager is just not going to call or email them back; he's a nice enough guy but I couldn't get him to answer a text that required a one-word answer, let alone an email or pick up his phone when I worked there...it's just not going to happen. The bulk of my references are good and I've been communicating with them about this job, but are a couple no-answers (not negative feedback, likely) going to sink this?

I've never gotten this far in the public job space, so have no idea if I need to Panic, Panic Harder, or just sit tight and calm down.

For what its worth, the second interview went extremely well, and the manager of the department was very much talking to me like they were going to offer it to me, but this is a government job and it may as well be The Upsidedown to me; I don't know what I don't know here.

posted by furnace.heart to Work & Money (5 answers total)

I’m not sure the level of security clearance this job has, but my understanding (secondhand) is that for deep stuff they will also interview past roommates, neighbors, etc. I think they’ll come back to you for more if information is they feel what you provided was inadequate for their purposes. Maybe this is being Pollyanna-ish but things can and do work out!

Good luck! It sounds like things are promising and I know it can feel extra scary to potentially lose but I’m rooting for you.
posted by smorgasbord at 5:30 PM on September 23, 2020

Response by poster: Should clarify: zero security clearance. This is an admin-ish job with a state licensing agency.
posted by furnace.heart at 5:36 PM on September 23, 2020

I've had two companies on my resume dissolve and I noted that the place was defunct and referred then in one case to the parent company and the other the receivership. I think it's not unusual to have that in a work history and I would just note it like that. Punt to bureaucracy if you can.
posted by fluttering hellfire at 6:15 PM on September 23, 2020

I have worked in state government and in the private sector, and hired in both. For the kind of job you’re talking about I have usually needed 3 references. You don’t need a reference from every job you’ve had, you just need 3 names of people who will answer the phone or reply to an email and say good things about you. These are ideally former direct supervisors, but can be managers who didn’t directly supervise you but that you worked with, leaders some levels above you in the hierarchy (e.g., your boss’s boss), or even peers (not ideal, but better than nothing). Pick the people who will say the best things about you and be responsive to inquiries. It’s better if these are more recent rather than all from a long time ago, but employers are generally understanding that if you are looking for a job while employed you can’t list your current boss.

They may also want to verify your previous employment, which is separate from your professional references. For this they should contact the HR or main office of your former employers.
posted by jeoc at 7:40 PM on September 23, 2020

I have been hiring folks in state govt for twenty years. Yes to the above-best is supervisors, next is other managers. Red flags if all your references are coworkers, or you can’t produce a relevant reference from your current/most recent jobs.
posted by purenitrous at 9:33 PM on September 23, 2020 [1 favorite]