A resume is one of the first things an employer sees in the hiring process; reference calls and inquiries aren't made until later. But you might begin, now, to think about which people you would choose to recommend you, to inform the prospective employer about things such as your trustworthiness, honesty, dependability, work diligence and habits, your career goals, the quality of your work, and even the kinds of friends you have.
The best choices for references are usually, but need not always be, people who have watched you work, supervised your work, instructed you, graded you, who have seen you progress to new levels of competence, etc. Who are these people? Usually your teachers, bosses, supervisors, owners of businesses or executives of organizations, where you have worked, and with whom you have had a direct working relationship.
References may be requested from others: ministers, neighbors, or your family doctor or attorney. But these are not considered as valuable by most employers. Obviously, if you were applying for a job with a church, a reference from your pastor might prove to be very important. But for a job as Administrative Assistant for the Vice President of Manufacturing, a minister's comments might not be as significant.
Put some of their names down now, and then think about how you might approach these people to ask their permission to act as a reference for you.
When you select the people to be your references, you will choose about three or four. For each of these you will need the following information:
- Full name
- Your working or personal
- Name of Organization, relationship, in a few words at most
- Address
- Telephone number, including area code.
- City, state, zip
And one other thing, always ask permission before using a person as a reference. Talk over with each one what they will say in advance and use those names only if they will say good things about you.
Letters of Reference
Many organizations no longer give out references over the phone. They may even fear a lawsuit based on something they might say. Or they don't want to offend anyone. Supervisors sometimes resign from where you worked for other jobs. So getting a written letter of reference is becoming more and more important. This is the only way to be certain of getting a reference from a previous employer.
Not all references are good ones. How do you get a good reference?
From an employer's point of view, the best references are from those who can tell them the truth about your performance, not just that you are "a nice person."
Current and ex-bosses, current teachers and ex-teachers are probably the best people to do this. Your aunt, minister, dentists and others who know you only as a friend, client, or relative are not acceptable references to an employer.
Begin by selecting some people who know your work and who will say positive things about you. Then help them in saying what you want them to say in their letters.
Remember, employers will be looking for negative information. Faint praise in a letter of reference can be damaging. So if you're asking someone to write a letter for you, be specific. Tell them what to say!
Tell them to write about specific accomplishments you were involved with ... how vital your actions and results became to the organization, and so on.
Don't be afraid to suggest improvements in the letter.
Or, if they say they'd love to give you a letter but they hate to write, offer to write something for them.
Ask them what they would say if they did write something. Then put it into words that make you sound like a trustworthy person and a good candidate.
And have them sign it if they agree with what you've said. On their letterhead. That helps convince an employer that your letters of reference are legitimate and reliable.
Offer to type the letter right away and have them sign it. Or you can draft the letter and have them type it on their letterhead right away.
If you walk out of the person's office with just their promise to write a letter "sometime soon," you may have a long wait.
Overcoming Bad References
Bad references can ruin everything! Good resumes, the perfect interview, excellent background... all can go down the tubes when your ex-boss says, "I wouldn't hire that guy again after what he did to me."
If you know or believe you have bad references, you have two options:
- Keep applying and hope you find someone who'll hire you without checking references at all. (Some smaller firms may not check references. Larger organizations have often been burned by hiring bad people and almost always check references to avoid being burned again.)
- Do something that turns those bad references into good ones. This later option may be difficult. But it can be done! Almost all wounds heal in time. It's a matter of "who eats the crow."
So YOU should take that first step toward a truce. Think of some good things about your ex-boss or your ex-company. Then send a letter, outlining those good things and thanking them for the good experience you had while you worked there.
- Be positive. And don't reopen old wounds.
- If you prefer, use the telephone instead of a letter. And say the same kinds of things.
- Use truthful, positive comments and compliments... ones which will help the person understand that you want to patch things up and at least not be enemies from now on.
And whenever you leave a job, or after you leave, do yourself a favor: don't complain about anything.
- Not your boss.
- Or the "rotten way" the company is run.
- Or the "lousy pay" you were getting.
- Smile. Swallow your pride.
- Compliment your boss, and the company.
- And pretend everything is wonderful. Even if it isn't. You'll only hurt yourself if you do otherwise. You will only make it difficult (if not impossible) to get good references when you need them. - And you will need them when you're looking for a job!
People are naturally skeptical. You may safely assume that most employers wonder if you're a "fake product" and "not likely to work after we buy your services."
One way to avoid this skepticism is to use the advertisers' favorite technique for dispelling doubt-the testimonial.
If several people are willing to tell how terrific you are, how effective a worker you are-and if these testimonials are readily available-these might turn the tide in your favor.
So, consider including testimonials in your resume! Edit them down to short punchy statements. They might be just the thing that sets you apart from your competitors.
How to get them?
- From reviews or evaluations of your work in your personnel file
- From documents, letters you have
- Letters from friends
- Letters from teachers/professors
- Letters from employers
- Letters from co-workers
Do you have some testimonials like these? If not, can you get some?
From past employers? Or co-workers? Or teachers? Or friends?
If you do not have letters of reference, plan on getting them as soon as possible. If you do, summarize some of the best statements here for possible use in your resume later.
