How Can I Tell a Recruiter “No” When They Ask for References?

By Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter

Here answer the question from someone who is asked for references by a recruiter during the 1st interview and doesn’t want to provide them.

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People hire Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter to provide No BS Career Advice globally because he makes many things in peoples’ careers easier. Those things can involve job search,

Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter
Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter

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6 Responses
  1. Maurice Levie

    There isn’t an average Jane or Joe, there’s me.
    I had a go-see the other day with a second-tier warm body provider. They wanted two managerial references (yes someone still uses the Jack Welch system). Gladly I gave them as both have already been RIFd.
    The bottom line is, you play or you pass. Your loss. I take my chances and play

  2. Maurice Levie

    There isn’t an average Jane or Joe, there’s me.
    I had a go-see the other day with a second-tier warm body provider. They wanted two managerial references (yes someone still uses the Jack Welch system). Gladly I gave them as both have already been RIFd.
    The bottom line is, you play or you pass. Your loss. I take my chances and play

  3. ymest269 Daniel

    So insightful. I have been fleeced many times and it really affects your self-esteem. Yes, they are sleazy. And I was invited to interviews and discovered that my CV had been changed without my permission of course. I had to explain to the interviewer that I had never done this, or that and seriously, the ” trust” was gone in seconds. I am avoiding recruiters like the plague these days. Unfortunately, you discover all their dirty tricks at your own expense and it’s so unpleasant especially when you NEED a job. They also often start with ” We have this confidential mandate blah blah” and with a bit of research you find the NOT SO CONFIDENTIAL MANDATE on the company website. As you can see, I am very very wary of these people so I try and do it all myself through networking and cut the middleman. XXX

  4. ymest269 Daniel

    So insightful. I have been fleeced many times and it really affects your self-esteem. Yes, they are sleazy. And I was invited to interviews and discovered that my CV had been changed without my permission of course. I had to explain to the interviewer that I had never done this, or that and seriously, the ” trust” was gone in seconds. I am avoiding recruiters like the plague these days. Unfortunately, you discover all their dirty tricks at your own expense and it’s so unpleasant especially when you NEED a job. They also often start with ” We have this confidential mandate blah blah” and with a bit of research you find the NOT SO CONFIDENTIAL MANDATE on the company website. As you can see, I am very very wary of these people so I try and do it all myself through networking and cut the middleman. XXX

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