I just need to get two references ...

[GillsMan]

As a SAP consultant/contractor I have to call you out on this, the 2 reference process is a scam done by your industry to try and secure fiurther business. All my contracts have been secured without providing references.

Ditto that.

[kingcook]

I've just had a phonecall, apparently from my current agency, although not the same contact that i've spoken to previously.

They want 2 references from me now, despite me being with current client for around 7 months. It's for their own internal audit!! lol

I told him i'm not interested and said goodbye

[JamJarST]

The funny thing is I had an agent call me yesterday. I had listed my current client and project on Linked In, he was quite up front and asked me if there would be any oppurtunity for him to place people and who the people in control were, I was quite happy to help him.

[norrahe]

Just had a call from a pimp regarding a gig I applied for.

He sent me a "form" to fill in which basically asked me to list details of every company I've interviewed within the last 3 months.

Needless to say it was sent back with very little detail, I don't expect to hear from him again.

[TraceRacing]

I have been looking around as my current gig is up in a couple of weeks.... and the agency (entier) sent me this (followed by my response)...

Hello xxxxxxx


Thank you for your response, unfortunately we have been informed by the client that the role has now been filled internally. However we are expecting some similar roles to become available and we would like to invite you to join the Entier network so that you will be notified when they become available.



Entier is a network of like-minded interim professionals who believe that it’s Great People who deliver change, and that Values are the heart of Great People.



This is why we have developed a robust selection process to identify whether you would benefit from membership of the network and the extent to which your personal values are aligned with ours.



We do this in three stages:

1) The CV screening stage, which you have already successfully completed,

2) The case study stage, which this email instigates,

3) The profiling stage (a face to face meeting).



Stage 2 - The Case Study



This is essentially a recent assignment for which you provide two personal references: A person you worked with and a person you worked for (their email addresses are sufficient).

The case study takes the form of a couple of paragraphs which explain the following:



Ø The Background/context to the assignment

Ø The Objectives

Ø Your Responsibilities

Ø The Achievements



You may wish to lift this from your CV, you may wish to start afresh, but either way it is not something which we anticipate should take a long time.

The form, and its references, is designed to start a dialogue; for us to gain a deeper understanding of how you operate, your personal values and working style.



The layout of the case study is designed around how we display assignments in our Associate profiles. Its objective is to showcase the important information in a concise and personal manner.



Please could you complete the case study document attached, and include the names of the two referees together with their contact details.



If you have any questions about this process please get in touch, and thank you for taking the time to complete this.



I look forward to hearing from you.



Kind regards



Jayne


And this is my response...


Jayne,

Please excuse my cynicism, but this seems to be a fishing expedition.

I've been burnt by a similar approach in the past and despite the agent's assurances that my references would not be contacted without my permission, they were. As a result of this, "Myco" took the decision that references would only be made available at the time of the interview.

I understand and appreciate that this may exclude me from you process, however I believe my skills are highly marketable and I'm sure other agency's will be able to find a suitable role (and earn the associated commission) should you be unable to progress applications on my behalf.

Regards,

[Brussels Slumdog]

K2 Partnering the worst offenders

steer well clear of K2 Partnering - they are "gimme 2 references before I tell who the job is for" jokers
Ruxandra was her name
Not just me either a collgeague of mine had the same treatment

Whenever I receive a call from K2 Partnering I start the conversation with the words" Hello ,Before you start,I do not provide references, do you still wish to continue with this conversation ? "
K2 has a very serious staff turnover as their agents must spend most the time on the phone asking for references without much success.

[SimonMac]

<snip>

My last assignment was through Entier (at a guess I could probably guess which Client they were offering you) and I wasn't an "associate" or went through the rigmarole that they spout, if they think they can place you they will.

In their defense I haven't been asked for any reference except as part of the offer when they placed me.

[Gentile]

This has been quite an entertaining thread. My tuppence worth, FWIW :

When agencies ask you for references, as others have said, they are ALWAYS looking for leads. This is especially evident if they ask for references before they've even done so much as get you an interview. Your response should always be "I can provide those upon a conditional offer being made". Don't listen to anyone that says it helps market you if you provide references in advance: if anything, it makes you look desperate, and unconfident that your professed skillset can impress people in its own right. Due diligence to confirm your skillset comes after the interview process, not before.

I never, ever, ever give agents my referee details unless and until I have a conditional contract offer on the table. And even then, for "Data Protection Act" reasons, I ask the agency to confirm in writing that my contacts wont be marketed to by their organisation using the contact details that I provide for reference purposes. I inform them that, as I value my referees' time, I've asked my referees to report any contravention of this agreement, so I can take it up with the ICO.

I've also got into the habit of asking potential referees (usually a manager at ClientCo) for a reference written on headed notepaper, that says I'm a damn nice chap with skillz and stuff, and quotes their standard backstop address and telephone number as contact details. That way, if anyone calls them for marketing purposes, they need to at least go through a receptionist and explain they're calling for a reference for Gentile first, and will be less inclined to waste my referees' time with unsolicited marketing given the written agreement I required them to provide. Providing direct contact details would only encourage them to bypass even mentioning obtaining a reference as the ostensible reason for the call, and leap straight into marketing.

[captainham]

K2

In fairness to K2, they have just secured me my first contract, and this is after I gave them two references upfront which I know they contacted straight away...but in this case I was ok with it as contractor friends I know have used K2 before. A few other agencies I spoke to also asked the same but as neither I nor my friends had heard of them before, I didn't give any refs to them.

[ba55meister]

just saw this

PLEASE NOTE THIS IS AN URGENT REQUIRMENT SO PLEASE SEND YOUR CV WITH 2 REFEREE'S IN ORDER TO BE CONSIDERED!

yeah, right