July 26, 2007
Forecasting a Stab in the Back
Imagine that you teach at a midtier university, and you’re eyeing a position at a higher-ranked institution. Your publication record and student evaluations are strong, but you’re not sure what your colleagues will say about you when they’re asked for informal references. You’re one of the few scholars of color in your department, and you’ve often crossed swords with your colleagues over matters of politics and procedure.
Question: Should you try to do some covert scouting to see what the folks down the hall are likely to say about you?
In the advice column known as “Ask Mom” at the group blog BlackProf, Richard Delgado of the University of Pittsburgh says no: There’s probably no way to learn about your colleagues’ likely comments “without generating suspicion and making things worse.” If you ask friends to probe their opinions of you without explaining why, that’s an ethically dubious tactic; and in any case, any information you glean is unlikely to be accurate.
“Life is sometimes rough,” Mr. Delgado writes. “It comes with no warranty of fairness.”
David Glenn | Posted on Thursday July 26, 2007 | PermalinkComments
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In the business world, many job search counselors recommend that you find exactly what your references will say by having someone call and ask.
There are reference-checking services (search Google) that do this for a fee or you can ask an knowledgable friend to pose as a potential hiring manager (or search committee member). To test the waters, a faculty member might ask a colleague at another school to call and indicate their department might be seeking to fill a position in the next couple of years and what can you tell me about Bob?
The professional firms take care not to misrepresent what they are doing — they have been retained to check references on a job seeker and do not reveal the name of the party who hired them to do so. Using a friend may raise some more ethical flags and I have not heard that faculty searches use such firms. Trolling for information for a possible search may be even harder.
Still, it is worth knowing that some people take references seriously enough to make sure what folks will say about them.
— Jim Jul 26, 04:05 PM #
It is advisable to know the feelings of your coworkers. One should contact them and get references from those who have positive feelings about the person.
— Kan Chandras Jul 26, 05:36 PM #
My rule is that when asked to serve as a reference, I insist on a conversation in which I explain what I would say if I indeed served as a reference. It is then up to the individual to decide whether they want to use my name or would prefer to shop elsewhere. Perhaps if this approach should be more commonly used. Sometimes the conversations are uncomfortable, but if I am not willing to state my opinions to the individual concerned, I can hardly wag my tongue to others. On occasiojn, these conversations have led to genuine dialogue and improvements.
— John Jul 27, 08:04 AM #