Allison & Taylor have become the authority on what to do when a reference is saying bad things about you. In this article, Fast Company tells us how common bad references are and how you can prevent them from ruining your career.

“Unfortunately bad references are far more common than most people realize,” says Jeff Shane, founder Allison & Taylor, a reference checking and employment verification firm. “About half of the reference checks we perform come back with negative comments.”

In a perfect world, a previous employer would simply confirm dates of employment and job titles, but that doesn’t always happen. So how do you know if references are hurting your job-hunting chances?

THE CLUES

Shane says the most common telltale sign is if you’re getting second interviews and then the trail goes cold: “It could be your resume or it could be the hiring market, but if it’s happening again and again, it could be a negative reference,” he says.

Read the full article here.

About Allison

Allison & Taylor Inc. and its principals have been in the business of checking references for individuals and corporate accounts since 1984. We have successfully built our brand and corporate recognition and have been recommended by industry specialists such as The New York Times award-winning author Martin Yate (“Knock ‘Em Dead Résumés”). Numerous articles have been published about our business in newspapers and magazines including The Christian Science Monitor, The Wall Street Journal, Glamour Magazine, New Woman, Worth, National Business Employment Weekly, The Detroit News, and The St. Petersburg Times.