What do you say if a friend's prospective employer calls you up for a job reference?

[JEDI]

A friend is putting me down as a reference for a job as an electrical engineer.

I met him a couple of years ago when i took a public speaking class.

He's a good person, nice, and hard working. He was horrible at public speaking tho. (yeah i know, dont mention this.)

and i have no idea about his skills as a EE since i've never seen any of his work.

So besides nice, friendly, hard working, and dependable, what else can i say?

edit:
Fixed title

 

[mrjminer]

Lie.

 

[waggy]

hah i had a friend that put me down as a reference. I told him not to since i would not lie to them.

well he did anyway. they asked me if i would hire him. I did my best to dance around it (there was no way in hell i would hire him). but the guy figured it out.

i did mention the guy has a lot of knowledge in computers, software and programing (the guy is a genius! he can do damn near anything on a computer).


to bad he just can't stay on a job. he has to mess with crap and couldnt stop downloading games etc.

 

[George P Burdell]

Originally posted by: mrjminer
Lie.

No

 

[leftyman]

say "Oh, he's out of prison already? My how time flies."

 

[AreaCode707]

Some places want personal references in addition to professional references. Ask your friend which type of reference he put you down for. If called, give a good personal reference (responsible, on time, accountable, hard worker, etc.) and be honest that you have not been in a work environment with him so you are not able to comment on his professional skill.

 

[DeadByDawn]

"Vandalay Industries"

 

[blackdogdeek]

just answer the questions truthfully.

also, know the difference between prospective and perspective

 

[lokiju]

Originally posted by: mrjminer
Lie.

Pretty much.

 

[AgaBoogaBoo]

Originally posted by: HotChic
Some places want personal references in addition to professional references. Ask your friend which type of reference he put you down for. If called, give a good personal reference (responsible, on time, accountable, hard worker, etc.) and be honest that you have not been in a work environment with him so you are not able to comment on his professional skill.

/thread
FTW
QFT

 

[TreyRandom]

Originally posted by: HotChic
Some places want personal references in addition to professional references. Ask your friend which type of reference he put you down for. If called, give a good personal reference (responsible, on time, accountable, hard worker, etc.) and be honest that you have not been in a work environment with him so you are not able to comment on his professional skill.

She's right on the money. Just tell the truth.

 

[Zolty]

Tell him not to put down a personal reference. Or pretend that you were his boss and you were reluctant to let him go because he was the best most productive worker, but the company went under.

 

[Mr Incognito]

Originally posted by: DeadByDawn
"Vandalay Industries"

Wow, you just made me watch that whole scene in my head. SAY VANDELAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY (George face down in his underwear).

 

[EagleKeeper]

Tell the truth.

You do not know him professionally, just personally; and here are his positive qualities.

 

[krunchykrome]

Originally posted by: JEDI
A friend is putting me down as a reference for a job as an electrical engineer.

I met him a couple of years ago when i took a public speaking class.

He's a good person, nice, and hard working. He was horrible at public speaking tho. (yeah i know, dont mention this.)

and i have no idea about his skills as a EE since i've never seen any of his work.

So besides nice, friendly, hard working, and dependable, what else can i say?

edit:
Fixed title

Uh, give him a good reference :roll:

 

[imported_Imp]

The truth works. Otherwise they get job, employer thinks they are the sh!t, then slowly figure out how crappy they are. Since these managers all seem to have connections, next time you apply for a job, they might remember "oh, it's the liar and/or idiot". If they get the job despite, then no one to blame.

 

[Gooberlx2]

Originally posted by: JEDI
A friend is putting me down as a reference for a job as an electrical engineer.

I met him a couple of years ago when i took a public speaking class.

He's a good person, nice, and hard working. He was horrible at public speaking tho. (yeah i know, dont mention this.)

and i have no idea about his skills as a EE since i've never seen any of his work.

So besides nice, friendly, hard working, and dependable, what else can i say?

edit:
Fixed title

You don't need to say anything else...that should suffice fine.

 

[imported_cheapdude]

? Can you please verify that [Name of Applicant] was an employee with your Company from [Insert Date] to [Insert Date]?

? What type of work did [Name of Applicant] do?

? Were [his/her] earnings $[Enter yearly salary]? Were there any bonus or incentive plans?

? Why did [Name of Applicant] leave your organization?

? How would you rate [Name of Applicant]?s overall job performance on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the highest, compared with others you observed in a similar capacity?

? How did [Name of Applicant]?s last job performance review go? What were the strengths and weaknesses cited in the evaluation?

? What do you feel were [Name of Applicant]?s major accomplishments with your company?

? What is the biggest change you?ve observed in [Name of Applicant]?s performance while with your Company? Where has there been the most growth or development?

? How did [Name of Applicant] handle [himself/herself] in times of conflict? Can you provide me with an example?

? What other person(s) know [Name of Applicant]? May I have their name, title, and business phone number?

These are some professional reference questions that we use.
As for personal reference, usually we ask how long have you know the person, and usually don't waste much time on personal references as they are mostly lies.