Letters of Recommendation Are Worthless

Contradictions

What if I have a signed letter from a previous employer saying how wonderful I was and they recommend me for hire..then when a perspective employer calls for a reference the person whom wrote the glowing letter now verbally says quite the opposite? Basically, destroying my chance of hire.

Miles of WA @ Dec 15, 2008 20:06:36 PM

Naw

I agree with Alison, the author. I have no need for them when I hire, I talk to people, if I can't get in touch with a live person to discuss the potential employee then that sends up a red flag for me.

Beatrice of CA @ Nov 20, 2008 09:12:45 AM

Don't toss letter just yet

Academics MUST include letters of recommendation. I've been asked to submit them, as well. Some employers (lazy ones, in my opinion) want everything up front, including references, which may or may not consist of written recommendations, else they won't even consider an applicant.

General rule? Follow the employer's application instructions EXACTLY, and never (EVER!) submit references up front unless asked. And then only if you are willing to work for lazy employers who ask for them upfront in the first place, even though that very well may cost you any further consideration.

Not that I have any opinions myself on the subject! :)

almostgotit.com of TN @ Nov 18, 2008 12:40:52 PM

e Letters

Sorry, but I disagree. I would rather have a memo in writing regarding an applicant's character, abilities and interests than a cursory phone call. I can expand my interview questions of the applicant to include information from a reference letter. Don't get me wrong, phone interviews from references are good if they provide useful information. However, the more savvy interviewer knows what to ask to get what they need. On the flip side, many professionals who respond to reference requests are familiar with what they should and should not discuss both in written form or in conversation. People don't leave companies, they leave bad bosses. After being in human resources for "Fortune 10" companies for over 20 years, and having left a rat boss once myself, the value of one person's opinion over a lifetime of experience needs to be viewed but with a view of the total package.

JBJ of FL @ Nov 18, 2008 12:40:09 PM

Exceptions to the rule

I recently put an ad on Craigslist to hire a programmer. From the many responses, I narrowed the candidates down to one. After interviewing him, I asked for references. He provided me with names and phone numbers of five people who had agreed to speak to me. Of the five, only one answered the phone. I left messages for the other four. Of the remaining four, only one returned my call. The other three didn't respond even after I left more messages. I didn't hold this against my job candidate because the two references I spoke to gave him glowing reports. I can only assume the other three were busy, or maybe unorganized. Pursuing them further would have felt like stalking.

In this case, I would have preferred to have both a phone number and written recommendations.

Susan Ireland of CA @ Nov 18, 2008 09:11:10 AM

Student

I'm just a student and I don't know much about these things yet. Are they really worthless? My teachers recommended to at least have those letters...Hmm...Maybe for some employers they are, and for others, they're not.

I'm really confused now if I will include any in my applications...Well, good thing, for online resumes, I don't have to think about any letters of recommendation. I have one at NUresume (www.nuresume.com)..for free that is..no need for letters there..no worries for me..

Claire of CA @ Nov 18, 2008 06:21:28 AM

oh no!

This is so sad! All those lovely letters! Why do we bother?

However, makes me feel somewhat better, as in all of my jobs I only got one letter of rec. And I didn't ask for it. And it cited an anecdote that never actually took place.

Weird, really. But it was a nice letter.

Working Girl of @ Nov 17, 2008 23:07:10 PM

Response...

This is interesting, since I just got hired based off reference letters. I work in law enforcement, and these letters, attached to the resume in the interview, have saved my rear many times (and yes, I can prove that based on employer feedback post-hire). I worked part time/seasonal work for small departments, which is why I interviewed a lot, but they definitely came in handy to ease any concern that a potential employer would have. Yes, there is a background phase, but potential employers have been able to either ask questions based off of the letters or, seeing that they were written by people in the same field, have advanced me past the interview stage, where the contacts in the letters have then been called to further disclose information that is not readily apparent in the letters. I am not saying I disagree with this post, but there might be an exception for the government versus private sector. This is my opinion only, though.

RM of WI @ Nov 17, 2008 21:57:44 PM