Great Efforts = Great References

"The average person puts only 25% of his energy into his work.The world takes off its hat to those who put in more than 50% of their capacity,and stands on it head for those few and far between souls who devote 100%"- Andrew Carnegie -

Have you ever had the opportunity to contact a candidate's past employers when conducting a pre-hire background check? Those conversations are sometimes quite revealing and the unspoken words may be more crucial than what is actually discussed. Most employers will certainly verify dates worked, position held, responsibilities carried out, etc. Some will confirm attendance records but many will go no further. If you try to ask about quality of performance, whether or not the person would have been eligible for promotions, teamwork, etc. and get noncommittal responses, you likely have a candidate who fits into Mr. Carnegie's 25%. For some jobs, that may be fine, but for others it will send up a huge red flag.

I have learned many times that the effort you put out in a job, sport, volunteer activity, etc. equates to what you get back out. this definitely applies to job searches. Employers will be faster to go overboard endorsing a past employee who gave incredible effort to their job than the will for the reliable but average individual!