Please tell me I didnt screw up!
Today I had an interview for a civil service (GS-12) position with the US Air Force. My resume lists my current position and supervisor and explicitly says "Do Not Contact (without prior permission)". At the end of my interview today, one of the interviewers asked me who my current supervisor was. Given that the company I currently work for is well known to the division I was interviewing with, I thought nothing of it. Then he asked what his phone number was so I gave it to him. I don't necessarily care that the Air Force might call my current supervisor. I know he'll give me a positive reference, although I suspect my compnay has a policy against such (liability issues). But surely they won't call unless they intend on offering me a position, right? I'm not worried about a negative reference at all. Just worried a bit that my current supervisor might know I'm looking elsewhere. I don't want to discuss this with my supervisor unless absolutely necessary. Did I screw up? Should I have told my interviewers today to not contact my current supervisor? Like I said, I'm not worried at all about a negative reference. Also, please tell me they wouldn't even bother calling my supervisor unless they were seriously interested in me!
I don' t think you screwed up. Matter of fact, I think if you had not given them your super's contact info, that probably would have sent up a red flag. I do think that you made a mistake by even listing your supervisor and the do not contact message on your resume to begin with. Anything regarding former supervisors and references should be given only if they are requested. If I were in your situation, I'd feel the same way about not wanting my supervisor to know that I'm looking for a job while still working for them. As long as your boss would give you a good reference, despite the fact that they would be finding out from the interviewers about your job search, you really don't have anything to worry about. If you have a good relationship with your supervisor, I'd have a conversation with him/her. At least if they come to you and ask about why someone called them to get a reference, be honest about it and let them know that you'll keep giving all your effort to that job, etc. for as long as you keep working there. Besides that, I don't think you screwed up at all. I think you should have reiterated to the interviewer that your current employer should not be called when you gave the name and number. Most employers understand that but it doesn't hurt to mention it again. If you haven't sent a thank-you note to the interviewer, do it now and include in it a comment about not calling your current employer. Something like: "I am sure that John Smith at XYZ Corporation would give me a good reference however since my job search is confidential I prefer that he not be contacted"
Thanks! By virtue of the resume system that the Air Force uses, there's a little check-mark next to any supervisor's name that you list. Or at least I think there is. I went and looked at my resume that is uploaded to the system and I didn't see that I'd asked for them not to contact my current supervisor. *shrug* Oh well. If they call my current supervisor and he asks me about it, I'll just be honest. I do plan on sending thank-you emails out to my interviewers today and I may include a blurb about a courtesy call to me prior to contacting my current supervisor. But I'm not sure. Not sure I care that much. It's not like I've only been in my current job for a few months. I've been there a year and my boss is well aware of the fact that I'm always looking for opportunities to grow :) In today's email I will include a list of professional references as well, just in case. Thanks again! I appreciate your feedback. | |
|
Career Tips
|