I'm on my fourth full-time job. I've been asked for references 2 out of 4 times. My references have been contacted from just one of my past employers.<p>As an aside, it seems to me like it's always worth asking for and contacting someone's references (but only as the final step before giving an offer... as a candidate, I don't appreciate employers calling my references unless they are serious about hiring me). To me, it's a red flag if someone can't find 2 people to say good things about them. But in practice, many employers don't seem to put in the effort to call references.
I was hired (W2) by a staffing firm to fill a role. I interviewed with the client where I would be doing the work, and was offered the contract position. As part of the onboarding process with the staffing firm, I was then asked for references which they checked.<p>I wonder what would have happened if my references didn't check out. Would they then inform the customer that I wasn't available? Would they turn their back on almost a $100,000 in revenue (the portion they would take from my contract)?<p>Makes no sense.
Related question: is it considered bad form to give a recruiter reference contacts, without first asking those contacts for permission?<p>Also, what should one do, when one's previous employers (and thus potential references) are <i>also</i> employers from whom we are currently evaluating competing job offers?
Yes, but it's only one source of information among many. I don't assume they sources of the references are telling the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, but I do consider what they say.<p>Hiring is a complex game, and I want all the information I can get.
Our general policy as a company is to ask for references and also to ask permission to get other references from within our network (obviously excluding anyone who works at current employer).
Twice.<p>Once when I was still practicing law - references are really common in that industry (as is your law school and whether you did law review mattering 5-10 years later!)<p>The other time when I worked in higher education. It was a technical role, but it's really common in higher ed.<p>Both times, those references got phone calls. As a matter of my own process, I won't submit references until we're close to the offer stage.