Selecting job references wisely is paramount to ensure a positive and successful job search. While you may be good at selling yourself to a potential employer, choosing job references to back up your claims will be a substantial step in the selection process.
Employers need to ensure they hire the right professional before investing in training and orientation. For this reason, they always ask for job references. List your references on a separate page, not at the end of your resume. Below are a few ways to line up your job references to ensure you get the correct outcome.
Before searching for a job, make a list of at least five people you have worked closely with and who might have seen you at your best. You can then contact them and explain to them about your job search and ask if you can provide their contact details and name them as references.
Negative references occur when people agree to serve as a reference grudgingly. It’s paramount to use references you trust and happily agree with providing you with a glowing testimony to your skills and accomplishments.
Provide them with a few details like the position you are applying for and the qualifications and skills you will be selling for the job search strategy. You want references that remember you using those qualifications and skills and would be able to discuss them in detail with your potential employers.
Get Your References in Writing
This may prove to be more valuable than simply providing contact information. If you can provide a reference letter to the hiring manager that lists your reference’s positive experience of working with you, it will be read before the manager calls your references to learn more about you. If you are a fresh graduate and do not have any experience, get letters from your professors.
Join LinkedIn
Employers today go beyond the references you provide and use the internet to find more information about you. Having a LinkedIn profile is far-reaching, and it can prove to be a great opportunity to get your former and current colleagues to post recommendations for your profile. LinkedIn continues to get more popular for professionals, and, therefore, the recommendations you have on your profile will prove to be very valuable.
Once you manage to line up a list of references, it is imperative to give them a heads-up when you have an interview scheduled. It will help to provide them with information about the school or organization you have an interview with, the position outline, and any other details you think might be relevant.
