What Makes A Good Reference For Your Remote Job?

When applying for a remote job, you will no doubt be asked to provide references at some point during the interview process. While references aren’t typically contacted until you are being seriously considered, they may be requested upfront to save time. Providing references is not a casual document to throw together. You want to be very thoughtful about the process of compiling who your references will be and how your references will be able to support your claim of being able to work remotely.

A recruiter is going to ask straightforward questions to your references. Some version of the question could be:

• What is your working style?
• How have you demonstrated the ability to work independently?
• When have you been able to meet or exceed deadlines?
• How well do you communicate and collaborate within a team?
• Do they believe you are a good fit for this role?

An even better recruiter is going to ask questions that don’t necessarily lead to what may be viewed as a positive or negative response. They are looking for the truth about you to determine if you fit in with their company culture. Miranda Nicholson, VP of HR at Formstack, likes to ask the following questions of references:

• What did you learn from them?
• What did you talk about when you weren’t talking about work?
• What was the best piece of advice they gave you?
• What did you have in common?

Miranda also said, “I try to fashion the questions around what the potential red or yellow flags are vs softball questions. I will also ask a ‘would you rather’ question, ‘Do you think they’d rather be wrong, late, or disliked?’ They’re never going to say “disliked” but the other two will give you insight into the candidate’s humility and punctuality.”

Another common type of remote work reference check Formstack, along with many other companies, likes to conduct is called a back-channel reference. This is when the company goes to any one of your social media profiles to find out if you have any mutual connections. The company (typically without letting you know first) will reach out to these people, let them know they are thinking about hiring you, and ask for their thoughts. Be prepared.

One of the biggest red flags is when a reference is being taken and the person giving the reference has nothing constructive to say about you. The person paints you as a perfect employee. For instance, you can’t excel at working head’s down on your projects and be the best project manager. Have you truly exceeded every deadline? Does everyone on the team truly think you’re the best and you’ve never had a disagreement with anyone?

Most companies aren’t looking for perfection and perfect employees. This is particularly harmful if you are applying to a company with a culture of celebrating past failures and resiliency. No matter what the culture, a healthy company is not looking for the perfect employee, they are looking for the perfect match in alignment with their company culture. The recruiter can’t make the decision if you are the right candidate if they don’t feel they have true and honest information.

Remote companies value honesty and candor in a way that may seem unusual if you have never worked remotely. This is because you will be expected to communicate honestly and candidly. You will be expected to guard your boundaries, push back on ideas, and provide positive and constructive feedback openly and transparently. No more meekly knocking on your boss’s door to ask for five minutes of their time to complain about your co-worker. The whole point of hiring the right person for the culture is to avoid the need for this in the first place.

Of course, you don’t want a bad reference. If you don’t have a conversation and prep your references ahead of time when searching for examples to provide the recruiter a reference can often remember an isolated incident. You don’t want an isolated incident to be a focal point of any conversation. A reference shouldn’t be bringing up your worst isolated incident that came out of a high-stress situation, that time you weren’t given a full deck of cards to play with, or when there was a particular personal situation affecting your life.

The question then becomes, how do you ensure that your reference provides honest feedback to help you get hired by the right remote company? You have to have a conversation and prep your references. Let them know about the job, the company, why you think you are a good fit, and, most importantly, how you have demonstrated the ability to work remotely. Ask them for honest thoughts and feedback. Share details about the role.

What about the role is exciting to you?

What is challenging?

How do you plan to grow in this role?

Are there areas where you are looking forward to using skills not previously utilized?

Is there an opportunity for professional development as part of your daily role?

As a master interviewer, one of the questions I enjoy asking is, In what area could this candidate benefit from professional development? Often the response is, there isn’t an area for the candidate to improve. Wow. Is that really true? The reference believes they’re giving me a good answer but it’s not. It’s probably one of the worst answers they could provide.

Think of it this way, the best companies to work for are spending tens of thousands of dollars (much more depending on the size of the company) to continually be coached in areas where more professional development is needed, as well as areas they already excel in to ensure they stay at the top of their game. This would also include those in the C-suite. If the highest level of leadership can still benefit from professional development and you can’t you’re not a good fit for this company.

Talking about these opportunities with your references is crucial. Remind them you’re not expected to be perfect. You are expected to have an opportunity to improve and grow. One of the most common answers to why a candidate is looking for a new role and what they want in the new role is an opportunity to grow. But if there is no professional development where are you growing? You’ve just created a huge disconnect that someone else, a recruiter, is left to try and piece together.

Remote references are and should be treated differently. An in-person job reference and remote job reference aren’t the same. Make sure your references know the difference as well.

Melissa Smith has been working remotely since 2013. In 2017, she became location independent. During that time she traveled to 16 countries in 12 months while running her business. Now Melissa teaches and consults others on how to work remotely, specializing in the remote hiring process. You can learn more about working with Melissa at melissasmith.io

Additionally, Melissa is an author and mentor for the first global, online education remote individual certification program with Remote-how Academy, as well as the Founder & CEO of the Association of Virtual Assistants and The PVA. She is also the bestselling author of Hire the Right Virtual Assistant and Become A Successful Virtual Assistant.

Melissa has since gained international recognition and has been featured in Forbes, U.S. News & World Report, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and many others.