Choose a Work Reference
Choosing job references can be an essential task to complete while seeking employment. High-quality recommendations provided by those who know you can give provide you with a competitive edge against other potential candidates applying for the same role. Because you are allowing a reference to speak on your behalf, you'll need to know how to choose a work reference who can help highlight your best qualities and attributes as well as provide a positive recommendation to a would-be employer.
Steps
- Create a list of people who you believe will say positive things about you. The best choices may include former supervisors, coworkers, managers in other areas who you worked closely with, or even clients. You will want to choose work references from this list that will speak highly of you and will attest to what you have accomplished.
- If you don't have any profession references or are an inexperienced worker, you may need to broaden your list. You may want to use college professors, supervisors from internships or volunteer assignments, coaches, or close friends. These types of references are only acceptable if you're a recent college graduate or a young worker.
- Narrow down your employment reference list to ideally among 4 or 5 people. Keep a few alternative names handy in case some of your first choices for references don't want to participate or don't pan out.
- Speak to each of your prospective references prior to actually listing them. Ask if they would mind becoming a reference for you, and select only the people who agree they will participate.
- Ask the references what they will say about you if asked. While this may seem uncomfortable at first, it is necessary for you to know what will be said about you to any potential employers. Choose the people whose messages highlight your best attributes and put you in the most positive light.
- Request current contact details from each reference. This can include work phone number, cell number, and email address. Make sure you also have their current title, the name of their employer, and how long you've known them, as these details will likely be requested.
- Provide each reference with your current resume and an idea of the types of roles for which you intend to apply. It may be helpful to provide them with a bulleted or shorter list of your key skills and accomplishments so they know what points are important to you. They can reference this list while talking about you to your potential employers.
- Let your references know how much you appreciate their willingness to help. Saying thank you is important because these people are helping in your job search.
Tips
- Avoid using family members as work references. Employers will likely throw their opinions out as being biased and may wonder why you were unable to find anyone else to speak on your behalf.
- Once you have your final list of references, keep the list separate from your resume. Unless specifically asked, you should not provide your references until during or even after the initial interview. Read the job description or application process carefully. Some employers may require you to include your references up front, in which case you should do so.
Warnings
- Never use references you haven't talked with first. Not only will they be caught off guard by an unexpected phone call from your potential employer, but you'll have no way of knowing what the reference will say about you.
