References: 5 Tips For Maximizing Them
By Marie Raperto, The Hiring Hub
Every potential employer will ask you for references. While a reference can confirm your employment at a company, you want a reference who will get you the job. Someone who will confirm to your potential employer how great you are. A reference should be able to speak to how valuable you were. It's someone who you've worked with on a consistent basis and knew how you impacted the work being done. It's very important that you pick your references wisely.1. Choose someone who you work with on a day-to-day basis. In most cases this will be your supervisor but it could also be a team member or in-house client.2. Label your reference. If it's your supervisor, say so. But if it's someone else, say, for instance, that it is an in-house client who you worked with daily over the last two years.3. Don't assume, ask. Always ask if you can use someone as a reference and check with them each time you give their name out. You want to make sure they will be around to take the call but also that they are comfortable with the potential position and employer.4. Give your references details of the job. Share the description with them. This way they can be prepared and give the best information they can. Also send them a recent resume to refresh their memory.5. Use LinkedIn to keep a log of references/endorsements. You want a current list of references but you don't want to use the one you may have used earlier.And don't forget, tell your references if you got the job or not. If they are willing to be your reference, it common courtesy to keep them in the loop.
