Reference checks are an important part of the interview process. They provide the hiring company with key third party information about your qualifications as a candidate.
A good job reference can help you secure a job offer. A bad one, on the other hand, could potentially cost you a job.
As you’re applying to jobs and providing references, a situation that you might run into is a reference no longer being with the company at which you worked with them.
And if you run into that situation, you may be wondering if you can still list that person as a reference. To that end, this article provides recommendations for what to do if your reference is longer with the company.
Let’s dive in.
Reference No Longer With Company Meaning
Reference no longer with company simply means that the reference that you’re providing is no longer with the company at which you worked with them.
It doesn’t mean that they are not a valid reference, it simply means that they’ve moved on from the company at which you worked together
Can You List a Reference That Is No Longer With The Company?
Yes, you can still list a reference that is no longer with the company at which you worked together. Just because the reference has moved on from that role, it doesn’t mean that their experience of working with you is no longer valid.
The key thing to do when selecting references is to find those that can speak positively about your qualifications and ability to do the job to which your applying, not the specifics of their current position.
One consideration is that you want to a make sure that you didn’t work with the reference so long ago that they can’t speak to your recent experience in a way that’s relevant for the job to which you’re applying.
What To Do If Your Reference Is No Longer With The Company?
If your reference is no longer with the company, but would be a quality, relevant reference for you, then you should still provide them when requested by the recruiter or hiring manager. However, you are likely going to want to want to provide the following details:
- Their current role
- Their role when you knew them
Ultimately, you want to provide their current role so the hiring company is able to contact them. You also want to provide detail on what their role was when you worked together so they have the appropriate context around the relationship and why that person is relevant to talk to.
Here is an example of how you could provide it:
Mike Timlin
Chief Marketing Officer
Acme, Inc.
[email protected]
123-456-7890
Mike was my direct manager at Big Corporation Inc., where he served as the VP of Marketing.
Conclusion
A job reference moving on from the company at which you worked with them shouldn’t preclude you from listing them as a job reference.
As long as they have something relevant and valuable to say as a reference, it’s worth listing them. When doing so, just make sure to list their current position, as well as their position when you worked together so they have the appropriate context around the job change.