While references are not generally included on your resume anymore, the truth is that before you are given any job vacancy you will usually be asked to provide references to speak on your behalf.
If you have been in the job market for awhile, you ask the last people that supervisors or colleagues you have worked with provide a reference. However, if you have been studying or simply haven’t made a step up the career ladder it can be hard to know who to choose.
Here are some good suggestions that will serve you well:
If you are a recent graduate, or new to the job market, you will need to choose your references carefully. Choosing professors or advisors as a reference is acceptable. If you have never held a job before (i.e. a high school student looking for their first job), ask other career professionals, teachers or coaches who know your character and work ethic.
If you have been involved with community service groups or other organizations, ask the leader of the group/organization to provide you with a reference. You should also remember to include relevant volunteer work on your resume, especially if you are new to the job market, because your involvement shows that you have the ability to work with others to complete projects and achieve goals.
People you have worked for, even if you didn’t realize it. If you had a paper route, babysat for the neighbor’s children or even ran the school snack shop, these are all examples of employment and your willingness to work hard.
Instead of including references on your resume, have a separate reference page (formatted to match your resume) prepared to leave with employers, should they ask when you’re applying. Be sure to have your reference’s phone and email information.
One final tip-always ASK a person to be a reference for you-don’t just put their name and information down. You don’t want a friend/colleague getting a call from your potential employer and then acting like they don’t know what the employer is talking about and/or have no idea what they should be saying on your behalf. Tell your references what types of job you’re applying for as well as well as what company/hiring manager may be calling for them for information. Communication is key in making sure your references give the right impression of you to potential employers.
References and the Employment Process: What to do?
References are a critical step in the hiring process. An employer WILL check yours. Most companies will call about 2 or 3 of your references and ask them different questions about you before they decide if you are the right candidate for their position. You need to make sure that your employment references will give a positive review about you and shower you with recommendations.To ensure you cover all your bases in getting positive feedback from your references, follow these 5 tips: 1. When you start your job search, take some time to sit down put together a list of at least 5 professional career references. Professional means a past supervisor, coworker, client, supplier, or anyone that you have had a close professional relationship with. People who carry the most weight, such as a supervisor, are best to use for references. 2. Never use someone as a reference unless you have discussed it with them first. You need to talk to them and ask for permission. If you want willing, enthusiastic and available references, then they need to be informed. It’s important that they are available. It’s annoying and it does not look good for you when your references don’t return calls in time. When companies get to this stage of the process, they want these references done as quickly as possible. 3. When you are asked by a prospective employer for references, only give them 3 out of 5 of your references. Use the other two as backups in case you have trouble getting in touch with someone. Call your references and let them know that they may be receiving a call from your prospective employer. Tell them that it is crucial that they return the call immediately. Ask them to contact you afterwards so you can discuss. 4. If you are doing a long period of interviewing, check with your employment references every couple of weeks in order to make sure they are still on board and not getting frustrated or annoyed with calls from your interview process. 5. Do not put on your resume, “References available upon request.” Ugh. HR managers already know this and it’s a very overused phrase. Do not put the names and contact numbers of your professional references on your resume. You don’t want just anyone and everyone calling up your references every time they see your resume. You should be in control of your references and know who is going to call them and when. Sometimes, recruiters and other companies will contact your references to recruit them. You’re the one looking for a job, so make sure that your references remain yours and out of the public domain.
Is Having the Wrong References Holding your Job Search Back?
Having many interviews with nothing to show for it can be one of the most frustrating things to have to go through. You’re so close to getting a job offer but it just never materializes. If you can get interviews then there’s probably nothing wrong with your job-hunting strategy, your resume or cover letter. The problem could be related to your interviewing prowess or maybe even your references. You might need to take some time and evaluate your job interviewing process – from everything to your preparation to following up. How much effort do you put into preparing for your job interviews? Do you do your research before the interview and review questions that you might be asked? Your interviewing skills are important, you have to make a good impression when you first meet the interviewer. You have to have a solid connection – with a strong handshake, solid eye contact, and an inviting smile. One thing to do is bring in samples of your previous work. A portfolio, with supporting documentation, is an excellent way to sell yourself to an interviewer. Make sure to ask questions about the company and the position, you have to be interested in the position or it will show through to the interviewer. There is a lot of gray area when interviewing. You don’t want to overstep your bounds but you also want to show that you have a personality to match your resume. What about after the interview? Do you thank the interviewer or send out a thank you letter afterwards? Following up was once the key to landing a job – now there are many different factors at play. There are companies that will call all of your references and there are some that will not think twice to hire your without references. If you think your references are holding you back from finding a job, then evaluate your references and see how you can beef them up. Make sure that you ask someone before you put them down as a reference, the last thing you want is having a supervisor from 3 years ago get a call about you and have no idea who you were. If you have references that are not related to the job you’re applying for, you need to update them to match your desired position. Many of these companies will not hire someone if they have old references or if their references don’t match the desired position. Having your McDonalds manager from college as a reference will probably not do much for you when you’re trying to get that CPA job. Be smart about your references and only use the ones that will benefit you the most. Think about who’s on your references; would any of them have a difficult time explaining you or your past duties? Your references may be holding you back, so evaluate them and see if you can come up with references who will make you shine.
10 critical mistakes to avoid when writing your resume
After talking with so many people, I know many of you work and work to create the perfect resume, only to look it over when you are finished and realize your resume doesn’t say, or reflect, just what you want it to. And often times, that keeps you from being called for interviews.
I’ve included a list of “deal breakers” that might hinder your chances for an interview: 1. Mizspelld Words or Bad Grammar
While spell-check is good, it doesn’t catch everything – there could be a word that’s spelled right, but not the right word for the context of the sentence. Keep that spell-check in action but don’t rely on it exclusively. Misspellings can be the death of your application, no matter how qualified you might be. Think of how embarrassing it would be if you have been a mechanical engineer for 30 years and spell it ‘michanical’ engineer on your resume. Lots of times we accidentally misspell words that are actually words themselves i.e. “manger” instead of “manager”.
There can be other consequences, as well–misspelled words could interfere with resumes being found in the key word search of a resume database. So, proofread your resume yourself – it’s important.
*Be sure to keep tenses consistent and check for the correct word usage (such as “counsel” versus “council”). 2. Using a Vague Job Focus
Be clear on the type of position you want to target – your resume should be geared toward that. If you just say “Medical Field” or “Manufacturing,” the reader does not know what type of position you want, so your resume will probably not be considered. Make sure you are specific as to the type of job you want, such as “Accounting Professional”, “Senior Management Executive”, or “Educator.” 3. Not Including your Personal Brand, or your Value
In today’s challenging job market, showing your uniqueness – your personal brand; and letting potential employers see the value you bring to a new position is essential. Your resume must reflect why an employer should pick up the phone and call you for an interview over the hundreds of other resumes sitting on their desk. You ultimately get hired for the value you contribute to a company, so make sure it shows on your resume. 4. Including your References on the Resume
YOU NO LONGER NEED TO ADD REFERENCES UPON REQUEST on your résumé. It is a given that you will bring a list of references to the interview. Only provide references when they are asked for. Never include them on your resume. It’s understood that if a company wants your references, you’ll provide them.
5. Adding Pictures to your Resume
This might sound like a good idea if you are good looking, but it can also work against you. Unless you are applying for a job as a model or actor, pictures on your résumé is not a good idea. 6. Making Reference to Political or Religious Organizations
A GIANT NO-NO!! Don’t scare off prospective employers by referring to your political or religious opinions or affiliations that do not directly relate to your ability to do the job. An employer might not agree with your politics or might feel that the workplace is nowhere to display attitudes that might alienate others. 7. Including your Salary Demands
This should not be put on the resume – it’s only used to screen a candidate out of the running or influence the employer to offer less money. Salary should not be discussed until you have had the opportunity to explain your value – in person or over the phone 8. Creating a Resume that’s Too Long
People do not have the time to go over resumes that state everything you ever did in your career. Edit your profile down to the most relevant experience for the job at hand. Employers often gauge whether an applicant can deliver information about themselves in a quick, clear and concise manner to sell themselves.
Your resume must be long enough to show your value, but not too long, or the reader will lose interest. 9. Using Incompatible File Types and Formats
Electronic resumes should be created in the most readable file for most [Internet-recruiting] systems, which is plain text or Microsoft Word.
Today’s resume needs to be readable by machines, which means text needs to have a font size between 10 – 12 and a simple font style, such as Arial, Verdana, Helvetica or Microsoft SansSerif. 10. Stick to the Truth
We’ve seen what happen with CEO’s who embellish on their résumés. If you lie on your resume, you will have to defend yourself and your résumé in an interview. Employers also do background and even credit checks, and inaccurate info could come back to haunt you. Plus a few more…!
11. Don’t Put your Reasons for Leaving on the Résumé
Save this for the interview. It doesn’t need to be on the résumé. 12. DO NOT Make Changes to the Résumé in Pencil or Pen
Add it to the document on your computer, not jotting it down or crossing something else out. This is never acceptable on a résumé. 13. NEVER send a résumé without a cover letter!
You must always have a cover letter. It states your intention to the reader. It’s expected and is important in job search etiquette. This is a powerful tool that can give you the competitive edge.
Job-hunting has never been a walk in the park, and these days, it’s even harder. You’re staring down the barrel of double-digit inflation rates, and unemployment statistics are showing numbers that have never been higher. How do you get a job, then?
Well, you treat every minute that you’re unemployed like you still have a job, and you do: The job of finding yourself a job.
First things first, take a hint from the old adage, “Dress for the job you want, not the job you have.” Right now, the job you have is…none. Dress every day in the clothing you’d show up in if you had the job you really want. You’re showered, shaved, hair fixed, and nails clean. The reasons for this are simple – you’re looking for a job, and your job right now is as Employment Professional, the person for whom work will come soon. There’s another big reason for being dressed professionally at home; you’ll be less inclined to fall into really bad habits, including sleeping too late, lolling about on the sofa watching TV, cruising the Internet for anything not job search-related, goofing off when you should be getting a job. Not saying you have to wear a suit every minute of the day, but getting up in the morning, brushing your hair and teeth, and getting out of your sweats is a good place to start.
Looking the part serves a couple other purposes. You’ll feel better if you’re looking better. Right now, your self-esteem might be a little low or a lot low, and taking care of your appearance will go a long way towards making you feel a little better about yourself in general. Confidence is key when searching for a new job.
Okay, so you’re dressed up and nowhere to go? Wrong. Take a left at the kitchen and head straight for your computer. You’re going to be performing a huge number of tasks, so maybe stop at the kitchen for a cup of coffee. Is your resume in order? Is it updated with your most recent info, professionally presented and edited for content and spelling, on good stock and ready to send by itself, or with a good cover letter and references? Do you have your references lined up? Do you know your salary requirements, in case those are requested? If you don’t have all this ready, open up your word processor and knock that out.
Now, get online and go to every job search site you can find and plaster your resume everywhere. Anyplace that sounds remotely like something you’d be interested in, make sure you’ve researched the company and position, and have a cover letter ready to send directly to that company, every detail specifically tailored for that employer.
Get on all the social networking sites you can find. Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, LinkedIn…Get the word out to friends, family and previous business associates that you’re seeking employment. Make sure your contact information is up to date, and you’re easy to find.
Be persistent, network, treat yourself and your current position with respect, and you’re sure to land on your feet.
Getting a good reference… regardless of the circumstance
Employee references can be the linchpin of a successful job search. If you nailed the resume, cover letter, phone interview and in-person interview, then it comes down to your references.
There’s no worse feeling than worrying that your references are sub-par, average or even detrimental. When a person’s made it so far in the job process, they don’t want to fret that their references will keep them from that dream job. If you’ve had some bad experiences with jobs and subsequent references, here you’ll find advice on how to get employment reference, even when leaving a job in a less than optimal way. Reasons for bad or no references Everybody has jobs they’d rather not list on their resume. It’s not because they did a bad job, but because either an unavoidable conflict with a colleague, miserable working conditions or an incorrigible boss ruined the job. There is no point in regretting these situations, because they’re well in the past. Learn from them and move on. The best way to move on is with a new job. The reference essentials When selecting references, always choose people that will say good or great things about you. The ladder is preferred, however. You want the highest marks you can get. For some jobs that may be a challenge. Often times our resumes hinge on the accomplishments we achieved at one or two jobs. If you take these approaches below, you should have success in at least getting a good employment reference despite a bad boss or bad job.
Ask a colleague
Ask a co-worker whom you worked with to recommend your work. This is not the best option, but it’s better than nothing when you need a reference for your top job. The co-worker should be someone you trust, worked closely with and will know your skills. This colleague can even explain how you handled the job well, despite adverse conditions, and answer a question that might have put you on the hot seat about your past job.
Seek a mid-level manager or supervisor
Everybody has worked at a job with a head boss who micromanages, controls and demeans. Bad bosses are everywhere. Often coworkers and other supervisors recognize when a boss is bad. Choose your immediate supervisor or even a manager who knows your work but you did not work with closely. This person should be able to explain your accomplishments and talk about your character.
Seek a former manager or colleague
Before I go forward, make sure the former manager or colleague does not still hold a grudge against the job. Negative Nancy or Debbie Downer will detract from you when being asked reference questions. You can’t afford to have a person with a negative demeanor threaten your job. But yes, a former manager or colleague can be a good reference even if they are no longer at the job. This person should be able to speak of your best work and your success despite adverse conditions.
Choose a client
People often overlook their clients, but a top-tier client that you worked with daily can speak as highly to your success as a manger. A client is not as aesthetically pleasing on a resume, but it will give them an insight into your performance and people skills.
The key nugget of advice to remember about seeking an employment reference from a bad job or bad boss is to be creative. Think outside of the box in searching for people who know your job and can speak for your skills.
