Q. I made it to the final interview round and the company is asking for three references. I don’t have three! Can I just give them one? One of my old bosses was fired and the other one and I didn’t get along. Is that OK if I just give them one?
A. First, congrats on making it to the final round! And thank you for providing insight to the other two. Definitely don’t reach out to them, but let’s think outside the box. I would tap into former clients, colleagues, peers and mentors. Also, outside of work counts as well — do you volunteer locally? Perhaps an officer of a local organization that you’re involved in the community would want to step up as well.
Also, you didn’t ask, but I’ll mention it anyway. Definitely give the former boss a heads up that you’ve provided their contact information to this potential employer. Do the same when you identify who you’d like to be your other references and have a conversation with them around it. Clue them in and indicate which job you’re pursuing and which top three skills you want them to highlight so it’s in alignment with the job you’re pursuing.
You’re in the home stretch! Think of this as a great opportunity to keep contacts alive and well. Nurture your network so you can reach out to contacts at any time to be a reference and offer it to them as well.
Q. March Madness is coming up. At my old job I was the king of organizing lunches around games, happy hours and whatnot. I’m in a new company and it would be a great way to meet everyone and build morale. Should I just send an email to everyone to get it going?
A. You can do a few things, but I wouldn’t just blast an email to everyone. You can talk to your boss to mention what you just wrote here and indicate you’d like to hold teambuilding around brackets. Ask what the culture is like and if this is acceptable during work hours or if it’s best to do it after work or if something has already been done.
Also, you can sit back and observe to see what’s currently done and engage with it as much as you want to better understand the office dynamics around this event before you jump right in. Some companies prohibit it, others endorse it.
And the fact that you’re asking here is a step in the right direction. With anything in a new job whether it’s culturally like this, teambuilding, birthdays, luncheons and more, the first year evolves as an opportunity to get a knack for the culture, participate and get involved.
Vicki Salemi is a career expert, former corporate recruiter, author, consultant, speaker, and career coach. Send your questions to [email protected]. Visit www.vickisalemi.com and follow her on Twitter and Instagram @vickisalemi./Tribune News Service
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