There are so many digital tools for your job search, but what about services that give you the edge when you're ready to close the deal? Even after you've found the perfect position and impressed your potential employer, there is still a major step you must take before you celebrate your new job — providing references.
Sure, you may have appeared stellar on paper and charming in person, but a potential employer is going to want a coworker or superior to corroborate your professional track record and your stated skills. And no matter how prepared you are to give the names and contact information for those who can vouch for you, it always becomes a scramble.
"For the job seekers, a reference check is a black box — you don't know what's going on behind the scenes and anything can go wrong," says Terefic Founder and CEO Emmanuel Toutain.
Terefic wants to change that. Instead of hustling for the right contact information to give your potential employer or sending out frantic emails to everyone you've ever worked with to find a reference that will work, Terefic's platform puts the timetable in your hands. Simply fill out your profile and request a reference via email from former managers, employers and coworkers. Then, your references will fill out a given list of questions from Terefic and send it back to your profile. The written references are on your profile but they remain confidential — you are only able to see a ratings system that gauges how descriptive each reference is compared to the total number you've stockpiled.
"We're bringing references into the Internet age," Toutain explains. "The employer doesn't have to play phone-tag anymore, and the job seekers don't risk losing the job because of a bad phone call."
Toutain says he started Terefic when he tried unsuccessfully to help an international intern get a reference for good work at his company. With no manager willing to commit to the time constraints of providing a live voice on behalf of a former employee overseas, Toutain felt compelled to give a written reference to the intern that spoke on his performance. However, he says he was concerned that companies would be skeptical of the reference and not accept it.
"For my intern, it would have meant the world," Toutain says. "I had a good intention, but it wasn't very practical."
As a result, Terefic is all about personal privacy and security for both the users and their potential employers. Toutain says that job seekers can feel good about knowing their reference information is safely handed over to potential employers, and employers can trust in Terefic for authentic references that aren't influenced by public visibility. The service has only been around for about a month, but Toutain says that the company has experienced positive feedback from users and employers.
"For HR people, they find it beneficial — reference-checking is a painful process," Toutain explains. "And the job seekers like the idea. A lot of people are looking for jobs and anything that can help is best to have, so the feedback and the reactions have been positive."
Toutain says the company's philosophy is to aid those looking to find employment, and he's ready to tailor the service to serve that priority. He adds that his service comes before money, and that the overall goal of the company is to give job seekers an advantage over the competition.
"I sincerely believe that our site can make a positive difference for the job-seekers," Toutain says. "A good reference can carry a lot of weight in the hiring decision."
Would you use Terefic in your job toolbox? Let us know in the comments.
Social Media Job Listings
Every week we post a list of social media and web job opportunities. While we publish a huge range of job listings, we've selected some of the top social media job opportunities from the past two weeks to get you started. Happy hunting!
- Vice President of Business Development at Attention in New York City
- Sr. Art Director U.S. at Digitas in Boston
- SEM Specialist at DrChrono in Mountain View, Calif.
No hay comentarios:
Publicar un comentario