It’s becoming more important to address the potential overlap between your current professional circle and that of your future employer.

Backdoor (or back channel) references occur in this overlap – where your future employer reaches out to a contact that a job applicant didn’t provide in their reference check; effectively bypassing the candidate’s official list.

How do you address, mitigate, or embrace backdoor references?

Tell Your Staffing Partner

If you are looking to change jobs in the same industry and the same geography, there is a very good chance that there will be an overlap in connections. Give your staffing partner a heads up. Allow them to manage the reference process and provide you with guidance on dealing with less-than-ideal mutual connections. Be transparent!

Check your Own Connections

Look for overlap between your connections and connections that hiring managers may have with current or former companies that you have worked with.  Use LinkedIn as a research tool to find these connections and prepare accordingly.

Get In Front of your Reason for Leaving

Make sure that you can clearly articulate why you are leaving your current position or left previous positions.  You do not want someone else telling your story to a future employer about the reasons that they think you left.

Maintain a Positive Attitude

It can be difficult to find a way to be positive about a job that you are leaving because of a poor experience. It’s tempting to offload your bad experience onto a friendly interviewer, but you need to resist the urge to throw your former or current company under the bus. Stay positive and focus on your departure as a larger part of meeting your career goals.

Be 100% Truthful, But Don’t Over Explain

Your future employer doesn’t need to know every detail of your previous employment, but you should be truthful about your experience.  Frame your experience productively. Provide enough insight for a hiring manager to get answers to their questions.