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January 4, 1999

References Really Matter

Companies place renewed emphasis on recommendations to stem IT turnover

By Jennifer Mateyaschuk

he year-end bonuses have been handed out, the office holiday parties are over, and it's time to get back to work. For IT professionals unhappy with their current jobs, it's also time to polish up that resumé, scour the want ads, and start looking for a new place of employment.

This year will be filled with opportunity for senior-level IT executives, according to John J. Davis & Associates, an executive search firm in New York. The company's research indicates that IT executive hiring has increased, on average, about 10% per year since 1994--and Davis & Associates expects that trend to continue.

But landing a senior-level position may require more than just solid skills and experience. Companies eager to reduce the turnover rate in their IT departments are putting renewed emphasis on reference checks to determine if a candidate will fit in with the company's culture. Many are asking recruiters to conduct systemized reference checks, according to Jeffrey Heath, president of the Landstone Group, an executive technology search and recruitment firm in New York.

"We're a third party and people are more at ease talking to us about their references," says Heath. "They're more relaxed about giving us names, and when the recruiter calls the reference, the situation is less charged because the job is not on the line at that moment."

The Landstone Group uses reference checks to try to learn about a potential candidate's behavioral and cultural experiences and attitudes. "We want to know how you perform on the job," Heath says. "What's your leadership style? How do you deal with people? Are you flexible or rigid?"

Job Experience
Heath says his company stays away from opinion questions, such as: Is the candidate a good manager? Instead, his recruiters ask questions about job-related experiences that will reveal information about the candidate, such as: Give an example of a job that came in on time. How did the candidate help to complete it? Did he or she have to convince management to change direction in midstream? If so, how did he or she do that?

Heath says job hunters should make references as central to their job search as their resumé. He suggests staying in touch with supervisors, peers, and subordinates who can provide good references after they leave the company.

Heath also advises candidates to assess the culture at a company they want to work for. "We all have ego drives and a fear of rejection," he says. "We want to win, but that's not the most important thing. The important thing is: Are you going to be happy in this job six months from now?"

Well-Rounded View
Dudley Brown, managing director of BridgeGate LLC, a recruiting firm in Irvine, Calif., agrees that references are important. "They are valuable because they offer a 360-degree viewpoint of who you are," he says. "If you are a CIO, getting people that you service internally, such as your VP of distribution, is very valuable."

But references alone won't win you a position, Brown says, because people give the names only of references who will say good things about them. The interview is still the most important part of the job search, and Brown recommends throwing away the "game face"--the attitude that the company needs you more than you need it--when going into an interview.

Instead, he suggests going into the interview with the mind-set that this is the job you want--even if you're just window-shopping--because companies want to hire people with an obvious passion for their job. "This is just as important at the CIO level as it was when you interviewed for your first job out of college," says Brown. "Hiring managers are thinking, 'Can I sit through a half-day meeting with this person?'"

Brown suggests keeping your resumé short and keeping it focused on quantifying what you've delivered to your current employer. For example, show that you improved the business by using technology. Explain the systems you helped deliver, what the expected return on investment is, and how you helped complete the project on time and within budget.