AUTHOR: David M. Young
References…sometimes they are not asked for, other times they could really matter in your search and future employment.
NEVER put references on your resume. I’ve seen people have a reference page that is the last page of their resume and unintentionally send it along with their resume. References should be very important to you and you should manage who has them and when they are utilized. Often times, a company would like a minimum of 3 references. Generally they are seeking a past supervisor, peer (or peers), and possibly a subordinate where applicable.
As a general rule, I encourage people to have 5 references. You should have the personas name, title, phone number, and email address listed on a document. Additoinally, i encourage people to list when you worked with them as well as your professional relationship (supervisor, peer, etc…)
Your references should fulfill the following:
- Be professional references, not social/personal.
- Be aware that you are using them as a reference and have a current copy of your resume.
- Be someone who will be a positive reference, not just a confirmation of employment. If in doubt, don’t use them. Some companies do not allow their employees to give references but can only confirm dates of employment. Don’t take this personally, just move on to another reference.
- Be aware that they will be contacted. And as a safe practice, I’d follow up with them after they are contacted so you are aware what was asked and get their insight on the reference confirmation.
- I would prepare them. Talk with them about your strengths, possible weaknesses, and help them feel comfortable answering in your best interest. If you have to “coach” them very much, they may not be a strong reference for you. They should already know you. But you want them to feel free to be glowingly honest. Key word here is Glowingly!
- If you have not talked with a reference in a couple of years, they should be removed from your list. They won’t remember or could be fuzzy. I have had references not be sure about who the person giving them as a reference was. This is always a bad sign.
- The worst thing is a bad reference, or one who remembers an issue with you. At some point, everyone has had some sort of disagreement professionally. If that has occurred, you need to be the one to discus it and how you have grown. Do not leave it to a reference to speak about.
- References can be from the overall course of your career, but if you have been working for several years, you most likely have grown in your career, and as a result, you should have individuals listed as references who can speak to your most current capabilities, not capabilities from 15 years ago.
- If you have skeletons in your closet, …. pause. It is ok to ask the person checking references not to contact a given company from your past. Most likely, you may not want your current employer to know you are interviewing. If that is the case, then just ask the future employer not to contact your current employer. The best way to provide comfort for them is to give them more references than they are asking for from a previous employer. But…if you have only worked for a single organization throughout your career, then ask your friends who you trust to keep the reference confidential to be the ones that could be contacted. People generally want to help others. You may also be able to return the favor at a later time.
Be aware, invariably it is a small world. As long as you are prepared with your references, and you have given the professional courtesy to the references that they may be contacted, you will serve to maintain your professional network and references will serve your job search well.
The Job 