Reference Checks - The Advance Group

Are your References Actually a Hindrance to Your Job Search?

HMG Success on October 7, 2026

Believe it or not, a person’s job references could end up being a hindrance in the search for a new job. When this happens, the candidate could struggle to land the new job they’re applying for. Candidates should consider examining their current references and making some changes in order to impress potential employers. Any negative items influencing your job search, including poor references, could automatically disqualify you from your dream job.

Read on to learn how to avoid making your references work against your job search efforts.

Common problems:

References Cannot be Reached
One of the first signs that a reference is hindering your job search is that the person cannot be reached. This is a very bad sign on your part. Before you list someone as a reference on your resume, make sure they will return a phone call or an email within 24 to 48 hours to the potential employer. If they do not wish to be named as a reference, do not put them on your resume. Avoid the issue altogether – right up front.

References Are Not Credible
Another way references could negatively impact your job search is if they are not credible themselves. This could mean that she is a peer in the workplace, friend, or mere acquaintance. You really should limit your references to managers and supervisors for whom you have worked. References should never be co-workers or other office peers. This will hinder your job search immensely.

References Cannot Speak About Your Work
The next potential way your references could hinder your job search is by being unable to speak about your work. It is understandable that it looks very strong to have a director or vice president listed as a reference on your resume, but these people might not be able to speak to the strength of your work if you come from a large company. When references cannot speak to your work, they can hinder your job search more than you might think.

Failure to Notify References in Advance
When you list someone on a resume as a reference, be sure you let them know that they will be contacted soon, and tell them the name of the company and the person who will be contacting them. If you fail to notify the references that they will be contacted, this can lead to them being surprised by the reference-checking phone call. Do not let this happen because it will reflect poorly on your part.Avoid having these things happen when a hiring manager tries to reach one of your work references. Have a list of people as a backup and routinely check your own references as you search for a job.

References Don’t Remember You
One of the biggest hindrances with references is when they do not remember you. If this happens, it means that you have not spoken to the reference in quite some time or they are from a job you held years ago. Stay in touch with the people who are your references – even when you are not actively looking for a job – because you want them to remember you.

For more information on how to choose and utilize the best references for your job search, contact the staffing experts at Advance Staffing Solutions. We know everything it takes to prepare for an interview, and can help you find a perfect placement!

What Will Employers Find When They Compare Your Resume and LinkedIn Profile?

HMG Success on October 7, 2026

It’s easy to apply for a job using LinkedIn tools, which sends your profile and career data zipping over to employers in a matter of seconds. But, before you do – when is the last time you checked to make sure your resume information matches the information on your LinkedIn profile? What could confuse employers or what do you not want them to see about you?

It’s time to clean up your LinkedIn profile so it says the same thing as your resume.

Your Career History for the Last 10 Years

First, go through all your career information on your LinkedIn account, going back 10 years. Do the job titles, descriptions, and employment dates coordinate? Fix any errors. Remove your career history going back more than 10 years from your LinkedIn profile, to avoid “dating” yourself. Include temp jobs under one agency name.

Your Skills and Product Knowledge

Chances are, you have gotten plenty of LinkedIn endorsements from peers on your profile. Are these skills appearing on your resume too? If not, evaluate the skills and if they are relevant to the types of careers you are going after. Remove them off LinkedIn if they don’t serve you. Or add them to your resume if they add value to your expertise.

The People You Know

Very often, recruitment pros will search through the LinkedIn (and other) social media profiles of candidates to see if they are connected in any way. This can be a positive thing, such as when you are connected d with a few people who work for your target company, or the person you list as a reference is a connection of the hiring manager. Be sure to go through your LinkedIn profile and get connected to people you know at the companies you want to work for.

Education and Training

Maintain consistency between your resume and LinkedIn profile where it pertains to any education and specialized training you have completed. Ensure dates and descriptions of your educational history are correct. If you earned a high GPA, just include this on your LinkedIn profile. If you are currently working on a degree or certificate, make sure you state your estimated graduation date in both places.

Waiting to Hear Back from a Recruiter? There May Be a Reason Why…

HMG Success on October 7, 2026

Imagine a scenario where you are unhappy with your current job, and are contacted by a recruiter who tells you that the company they represent is interested in hiring. They fill your head with a list of job benefits that far outweigh what you are currently receiving, and you naturally say that you are interested in getting involved in the interview process. It may sound like a pipe dream, but this is actually something that happens on a fairly regular basis. It’s all rather exciting, but what do you do when it happens to you and it suddenly seems as though the recruiter has dropped off the face of the earth?

There is always the possibility that you simply didn’t make the cut, or that the needs of the company changed during the interview process.

They may have chosen to go in another direction completely, or they may even have decided that the position that they were trying to fill was not as essential as they had first imagined. It’s also worth noting that it can take as long as six months for the search and interview process to be completed. If you were among the first wave of potential candidates, you could be waiting a long time to hear from the recruiter again.

The job is still up for grabs but is in the negotiation phase for the moment.

Another reason why the recruiter may not have gotten back to you just yet is because they may be in the negotiation phase with another candidate who interviewed first. They will not call and inform you of their decision until that negotiation is complete, as it may end up falling through. If that is what happens, they will either abandon the search, which happens quite often, or they may turn to their second candidate, which may well be you.

While your natural instinct will be to call to find out what is going on to get recruiter updates, this may not be the best approach. Believe it or not, recruiters are very busy people who simply don’t have time to regularly update every person that they contact. When you talk to the recruiter, do all that you can to make a positive impact, as that will make them keep you in mind if this particular opportunity falls through. Most recruiters will eventually call you to make you aware of the final decision made by the company, so just remain patient until that call arrives.

Advance Staffing Solutions Can Help You Succeed in the New Year

HMG Success on October 7, 2026

Employers in the northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan regions – listen up! 2016 can be an outstanding year for your staffing and recruitment goals. Maybe last year wasn’t so stellar and you have discovered some skill gaps, have lost a few great employees, or are ready to expand operations now. There’s no need to go it alone. Advance Staffing Solutions has the solutions to help your organization succeed in the New Year.

Here’s a rundown of the recruitment services and support we offer at Advance Staffing Solutions:

• 24/7 live staffing support from a team of experienced and committed recruitment professionals. Your business doesn’t top at 5 pm, so why settle for anything less?
• On-demand staffing support for short term and long term needs. Got a staffing emergency or need last minute help for a special project? No problem – just get in touch!
• Let us send a staffing coordinator to work onsite to manage your temporary workforce. No more worry over how to augment your current team with temps – we can handle all the responsibility for you.
• Strategic support for your human resource functions. When you outsource to Advance Staffing Solutions, you can count on us to help you streamline your HR operations so that you get the maximum ROI.
• Human resources consulting is just a phone call away. Advance Staffing Solutions offers HR consulting and guidance on any area of your personnel department. From workforce training and optimizing skills to recruitment, retention and employee engagement support – we can handle it all.
• Candidate screening is our specialty. Advance Staffing Solutions pre-screens all candidates using a secure system and we have risk management in mind. Our process includes resume screening, interviewing, personal background checks, skills testing, reference checks, criminal check, and drug and alcohol testing. We can even coordinate your interview schedule.
• Outplacement services for departing employees are simple. Advance Staffing Solutions offers career counseling, testing, assessments, training, interview coaching, and referrals to help employees who are leaving to prepare for their next career adventure.
• Professional Employer Organization (PEO) and payroll management is a snap. We can provide payroll and benefit administration services to your company, so that the liability is shouldered by our company and not yours.
• Flexible staffing solutions include direct placement, temp to perm, and temporary assistance. Let us source and screen the perfect candidates for your company so that you can reach corporate goals this year.

Get in touch with the caring staffing professionals at Advance Staffing Solutions today for more information about these services and more.

New Year, Same Old Hiring Mistakes!

HMG Success on October 7, 2026

As the saying goes, “Old habits die hard”. This is very true when it comes to many aspects of business, including recruitment practices. Oftentimes the HR team or the recruitment team goes into a New Year wanting to do things better, but keeps falling into the same old ways of doing things. The problem is at this takes away from the effectiveness of the recruitment team and can actually put your company at risk. In order to improve processes this year, here are some recruiting and interviewing behaviors to leave behind.

Not conducting a thorough background check

One of the biggest hiring mistakes that companies can make is not conducting a thorough background check for every single applicant. You cannot take a candidate at face value no matter how professional they look or act during the interview — they could be hiding things in their history. Take the time to call all career references and verify work history and character. Criminal background checks are a must. Failure to do so can put your company at risk and it also caused harm to other employees.

Forgetting to follow up with candidates

Another bad habit to shake in the New Year is forgetting to follow up with candidates. Whether they have applied for a job online or they have been screened by phone for a particular job, please take the time to follow up with candidates at least with a courtesy email. It’s not fair to leave people hanging and it is a measure of goodwill when you respect candidates enough to follow up with them and give them a status update. This goes for sending out rejection letters too.

Selecting candidates based on skills only

It can be tempting to just hire people based on the skills that they list on their resume and those that are proven through assessment tests, but this leaves out a large chunk of candidates who may be otherwise qualified and perfect for a position because of their personalities. Work with a staffing agency to assess the personality and culture event of every candidate before you toss them into the rejection pile.

Hiring under pressure instead of planning staffing needs

Human resources is not meant to put out the fires in our organizations. But often times we find ourselves in the position of having to scramble around to replace a lost employee or to find a large number of workers to cover busy seasons. To make better use of our time and energy it’s important that we develop the habit of planning out our staffing needs by staying in touch with our point of contact managers. By planning ahead it’s possible to augment current staff with temporary workers and create a true succession strategy.

Need Better Career References? Here’s How to Get Them!

HMG Success on October 7, 2026

Nearly every job seeker has been faced with the conundrum of not having enough career references. This can happen for a number of reasons. A job seeker may not have many previous jobs, thus the number of references are limited. Or the job seeker may have limited references because former companies have either shut down or former bosses are no longer working there. Very often, references may seem good, but when the time comes to get a response from one — they are MIA. The worst case scenario is when a candidate leaves a job with no reference at all because of a negative experience. How can you get around the need for better or more references?

Here are some tips for getting better job references.

Contact a former co-worker (or two).

Chances are, you had a few good relationships in your previous position. Take the time to reconnect with a few of your co-workers who you believe had a positive experience with you. You can use social network if it seem less awkward. Reach out by phone and/or email to request a professional reference. Return the favor by writing a reference for them.

Ask your staffing agency for support.

When you have worked through a staffing agency in the past, this can be in your favor. Take the time to contact the recruitment agency that you worked with recently and ask them for a professional reference. This can include the type of position(s) that you held, the length of service, and your general performance. Make sure the staffing agency includes the contact person’s name and extension in case the potential employer has a question.

Inquire with a career mentor.

It is a smart practice to line up a professional mentor early in your career. This is someone that is at a higher level than you and whom is well connected. Reach out to your mentor and ask for a reference. If you do not have a career mentor, consider another type of mentor such as a religious leader, college professor, or another professional in your industry. Get this reference in written form.

Use your professional memberships.

Most professionals belong to at least one industry association or business networking group. This is the time to tap into the power of association. Ask several of your colleagues at the professional group to write you a letter of reference. To make things smoother, offer to write the letter of yourself and have them sign off on it. This can be a great way to boost your career and to obtain a better reference.

Facing a Talent Shortage? Here’s How to Improve Your Recruiting Strategy

HMG Success on October 7, 2026

One would think with all the latest technology that recruitment as a whole is more efficient. However, it is a candidate-driven market currently and therefore, the recruitment process has actually gotten longer. A recent Forbes report issued by Glassdoor.com estimated that the average length of an interview has actually doubled in the last five years, going from 12.6 days to 22.9 days. At the same time, top candidates are only on the market an average of about 10 days. This makes it a big challenge for most recruiters.

One of the reasons that recruitment has slowed down is because employers are now demanding more assessments and interviews before they even consider candidates for entry-level employment. New screening methods such as group interviews, personality tests, security screens, skills assessments, and advanced background and drug tests all tend to drag out the hiring timeline. Companies are more careful about the people they hire because it is a large investment.

However, it is possible to speed up the hiring process so that you can go after the best candidates before another competitor gets them. Consider the following tips to improve your recruiting strategy.

Candidates who are in high demand will probably be interviewing with several companies at once. You’ll want to make your compensation package and corporate culture very attractive in order to capture their attention.

Develop a reputation for being efficient in your hiring practices. When candidates know that if they deal with your company, they can expect to hear back quickly and your job recruitment process is responsive to their needs, they’re more apt to stay loyal to your company until a job offer is made.

Make the application process simple. Consider the use of mobile apps in your recruitment practices to quickly gather the information of your candidates and respond to them in kind. Think about candidates who may be remote to your company as well, and use video technology to handle the initial screening interview.

Let a staffing agency handle all the upfront details of a hiring process. Staffing agencies are very efficient when it comes to screening and evaluating candidates for employment opportunities. In fact, they probably already have candidates ready to go by the time you call the office.

By speeding up your recruitment processes, there’s a good chance that you will be able to acquire the talent that your company needs to be successful. Partner with Advance Staffing Solutions to improve your recruiting strategy today.