Using Non-Employer References

If you don't have a lot of good references from former employers, non-employer references can be helpful too. Generally, a potential employer will want at least two references from former employers. But if they require three references, you may be able to provide two from former employers and one from someone else. Professors, former co-workers and customers can all be good references if they know you well. If you have a choice between providing three lukewarm references from former employers or two lukewarm references from former employers plus one glowing reference from someone you didn't work for, latter is probably better choice. A survey done by Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM) found more than eight out of ten human resource professionals regularly check references, so don't count on an employer not contacting a lukewarm or bad reference.

Legal Issues

There are a lot of misconceptions about legal issues surrounding reference checks. Some job seekers mistakenly believe that former employers can only provide dates of employment, position titles and salary history. Even though many companies have established regulations specifying that managers are only to confirm dates of employment, position and salary history, many managers are either unaware of these regulations or simply ignore them. Legally, an employer can provide as much information as they want about your tenure with their organization.

As long as a former employer does not knowingly provide false information in a reference check, it is fair game. An employer can legally say or write negative things about you if they are just opinions. For example, employer could say "John was a horrible manager." What is not legal would be for an employer to knowingly provide false information. For example, if a former manager didn't like you, they could not say "John started a fire in our office building that caused thousands of dollars in damage" if it was not true. Regardless of legal rules, you do not want your references to say bad things about you. There are companies that for a small fee will call your references and provide you with results. If you suspect a reference you're using is saying unfavorable things, you may wish to consider using a reference checking firm. Alison & Taylor is one of leading companies in this market. To find out more about them, visit this link: http://www.jobsearchinfo.com/at.htm

That same accountant might be able to get a job at an accounting firm like KPMG Peat Marwick, whose primary business is accounting, at a higher salary because their time is being billed out to clients.

Even if you're not working in accounting, there are many types of professional positions where their consulting counterparts pay more than staff jobs inside corporations. The downside to consulting jobs is they often require more hours and can be more stressful because of demands by clients.

If you've been working for a large company, you may be able to get a higher salary by working at a small business. Small businesses often pay higher salaries because they don't offer as many of intangible benefits as larger firms - such as after-work company events, a company cafeteria, and prestige that comes with working for a well-known firm. However, difference between what businesses of different sizes pay narrows when there's high unemployment because small businesses don't have to work as hard to attract people that might otherwise work for larger companies.

One place to go to research different industries and possibly map out a plan for transitioning to a different type of company that might be in a better position to pay you more for your work is Vault Reports web site. Vault surveys people working at all sorts of companies about pay, work environment, etc. and makes reports available on their web site. For more information about Vault or to visit their site, go to this web address: http://www.jobsearchinfo.com/vault.htm

Another way to find out about best places to work to maximize your salary is to network with other people in your profession and talk to leaders in your local professional association. If you don't know a lot of people in your profession, you can attend networking events to meet them. Here is a brief (but not exhaustive) list of places to go to find networking events: - Technology Executives Networking Group (TENG) - For Technology Executives. Website: www.theteng.org - Financial Executives Networking Group (FENG) - For Finance Executives (CFOs, Controllers, etc.). Website: www.thefeng.org - ExecuNet - General networking for executives making $100,000+. Website: www.execunet.com - Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) - Website: www.ieee.org - Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) - For I.T. Professionals & Computer Scientists. Website: www.acm.org - Crain's Business Publications - Publisher of Crain's New York Business, Crain's Detroit Business, Crain's Chicago Business, et. al. These publications list local networking events in these major cities. Website: www.crain.com - If you don't know if there's an association for your profession and/or industry, one way to find out is through American Society of Association Executives' web site. They have a search engine to let you search through all of professional and trade associations in U.S. Get to it by going to www.asaenet.org and clicking "Directories" on home page.

Once you know type of company you want to work for, next step is to start generating leads, which then leads to interviews. We have several tools listed on our website that are effective in generating job leads.