Job References
References are one of the most undervalued instruments in a job hunter’s tool box. Good job references help you land a job, but they also enhance your value in the eyes of your new employer. On the other hand, less than enthusiastic references could cost you a job offer.
You have many options regarding job application and/or job interview references. The most obvious, of course, is your current or most recent employer. A previous manager should be willing to vouch for you if you got along well; however, use caution when using a current manager. Only use your current boss as a reference if he or she knows that you're looking for work elsewhere, and you get along well. You could also use a client, mentor at work, or another senior level employee as a reference as long as you've worked closely with this person.
If you have limited or no work experience, you may not have a manager or senior level employee that can serve as a reference. In that case, you could use your professors at school as references, but choose them carefully. If you got less than a B with a professor, do NOT use them as a reference! Should a recruiter or potential employer ask about your grades, you don’t want the answer to be, “Well, she only got a “C.” Also be careful about asking a professor for a reference if you didn’t know them well. Professors who you only saw while sitting with 500 other students in a lecture hall do not generally make good references. You’d be better off asking a graduate assistant who worked with you individually. What you’re looking for – and what a future employer is looking for – is someone who can personally attest to your intelligence, your understanding of principles, and your interest in the subject.
Once you've selected who you'd like to use as reference, call or e-mail this person at a time of day when you know business will be slow. First, take some time to reconnect if necessary, asking how things have been and what’s going on with the other people you used to work with, regular customers, etc. You want the person serving as your reference to think of you as someone who he or she knows well instead of a semi-stranger that hasn't come knocking for quite some time. Explain your plans, who you’re interviewing with, and any details you can share about the job you’re hoping to land. Then ask for explicit permission to use this person as a reference.
Here are some more reference tips to follow:
- Never use anyone as a reference without their explicit permission to do so. If someone says they don’t want to be your reference, thank them for their honesty and move on to someone else. You’ve just had a lucky escape because the only thing worse than a bad reference is a reluctant one.
- Share as much information about the job with your references as you can. Also take the time to remind them of why you’re a good fit for the job you’re applying for. Conversations with your references are crucial because you’re supplying them with information you’d like them to share with your employer.
- Ask your references how and during what time of day they’d like to be contacted. You’ll need to give the hiring manager day and evening phone numbers and e-mail addresses for all of your references, but it’s a nice touch if you can specify when and how your references prefer to be contacted.
- Always thank your references for their help. If you get the job, let them know about your success and thank them again for helping to make it happen.
Good luck!
By: Wendy Lalli
9-01-2009
Wendy Lalli is a recognized authority on professional development. She wrote a professional management column called "Dear Lalli" and has had several columns featured in Inside Recruiter, an online publication serving human resource professionals in the pharmaceutical industry.
