Ask the Experts: How to Properly Use Old References

Question:

I interned at a company three years ago and would like the person who supervised me there to be one of my references. Unfortunately, he left
the company at which I interned but I was able to find her through a
google search. I have her new phone number and email address. Should I
call or email her to ask if I may use her as a reference?

First Answer:

You should email her with a formal reference request, but do it carefully. In a first paragraph, begin the message by indicating that you
learned through career research that she is now working at XYZ organization.
Be sure to ask her how she is doing and reiterate how much you enjoyed
working for her and what you learned during that experience. In a second
paragraph, update her on your current situation, your time since you interned
and your current status.

Finally in a third paragraph, indicate that your purpose for writing is to ask if she would be willing to serve as a reference. Be sure to let her know
that if she agrees, you’ll be respectful of her privacy and only provide the
hiring organization with her preferred contact information after her
approval.

You’ll also want to let her know that if she is willing, you will follow-up with details on the job description, an overview of the search process,
detail on who might be contacting her from the hiring organization and
details on when that contact might occur. Don’t forget to attach a copy of
your resume, and any information about what gaps the hiring organization may
try to address, or what skill or performance areas might be the focus of the
call.

Remember, the more informed your reference, and the easier you make the process, the better the reference will be.

— Susan Strayer, Assistant Director, Career Services, School of Professional Studies in Business and Education at the Johns Hopkins University and founder and President of University and Career Decisions

Second Answer:

Should you ask someone who could be a valid reference for you to be one even if she left the original company? My quick answer is YES, as getting a great reference is one of the benefits of being an intern. However, I’ll temper that by saying that I would feel more comfortable contacting this person if the information is for her new, business address. If this is the case, email first and say that you’ll take the liberty of following up by phone.

However, if the new information you got off Google is her personal contact information and NOT a business, I’d hesitate using it. Some might consider it an invasion of privacy (which the Internet has made so easy to do). Instead, I’d try to track her new business contact information from the original company you worked at. Chances are if they know you’re seeking a reference, they’ll provide the forwarding business email or phone.

— Alison Blackman Dunham, life & career expert, columnist, personal public relations consultant, half of THE ADVICE SISTERS®, and the author of the ASK ALISON career advice column

Third Answer:

This is the easiest question I’ve been asked in my time as a CollegeRecruiter.com expert and should put a smile on your face. Of course you may contact her to ask for permission to be a reference, and I would recommend calling over emailing as a more personal way to renew your professional relationship. If she agrees-and clearly you believe her appreciation of your work supports a recommendation–offer to email her a copy of your current resume, so that she can see your progress since the internship, and tell her what kind of a position you are seeking now. This will help her to answer a prospective employer’s questions.

As a learning point for you, references are often more valuable when they have left the company at which you earned the recommendation. Most employers today muzzle their current employees and forbid them to give references; once you’ve left a firm, you are freer to speak.

Treat all your references as the solid gold assets they are. Going forward, make sure you at least “check in” with them every six months. Senior-level former colleagues are not just a resource for when you are in job search; you may find yourself reaching out to identify talent, point you to information or a contact you can’t identify on your own. Additionally, relationship building is a two way street: you may find future opportunities to do something for those who’ve shepherded your career.

— Carol Anderson, Career Development and Placement Office, Robert J. Milano Graduate School of Management and Urban Policy at New School University in New York City

Fourth Answer:

Definitely call first. Be polite and professional in your request and if you don’t hear back from the phone message, you could follow up with an email request. If you don’t hear back, don’t press the matter further.

— Tracy Laswell Williams, certified job and career transition coach, accredited resume writer and founder of CAREER-Magic.com

Fifth Answer:

This is definitely the time to call your previous supervisor. An enormous span of time has passed — three years. A huge number of things happen in our lives every day. Compound that by months and then by years. You soon realize that it’s easy to forget names, things, people when other priorities start to push a short (here, I’m saying one to three months) meeting aside.

Asking someone to be a reference for you is nearly always going to be a personal conversation done in person, if you’re still at that site, or by phone call. Picking up the phone, especially after your prospective reference has made a job change, is a great way to re-connect. You can congratulate them on their new situation and ask them about it. Then segue to remind them of where you worked, what projects you worked on, how much you enjoyed a particular project or the insights you gained from your supervisor’s guidance and mentoring. These sorts of things are difficult to do in the body of a brief email. A phone conversation is the better route.

You’re opening an exciting door to your future. May all of your Entrances be through the doors of success!

— Yvonne LaRose, career and professional development coach, Career and Executive Recruiting Advice

Sixth Answer:

In a word, yes. It matters little that she no longer works for the same firm at which you interned. What matters is her knowledge of you.

You should always seek as references the people who will make the strongest recommendations for you. The key is people who know your
strengths and abilities — and who will say positive things about you.

Overall, you ideally want about three to five references – people who can speak highly of your accomplishments, work ethic, skills,
education, performance, etc. For experienced job-seekers, most
references should come from previous supervisors and co-workers whom
you worked closely with in the past, though you may also choose to
list an educational (mentor) or personal (character) reference.
College students and recent grads have a little more flexibility, but
ideally you should have several references from internships or
volunteer work in addition to professors and personal references.
Avoid listing family members; clergy or friends are okay for personal
references. Former coaches, vendors, customers, and business
acquaintances are also acceptable.

You’re on the right track by planning to ask your former supervisor whether she would be comfortable serving as a reference for you. Most
people will be flattered — or at least willing to serve as a
reference — but you still need to ask to be sure. Be prepared for a
few people to decline your request — for whatever reason.

Make sure to get complete information from each reference: full name, current title, company name, business address, and contact
information (daytime phone, email, cell phone, etc.).

Ensure that each reference always has a copy of your most current resume, knows your key accomplishments and skills, and is aware of
the jobs/positions you are seeking. Again, the best references are
the ones who know who you are, what you can accomplish, and what you
want to do.

Don’t forget to thank your references once your current job search is complete. Some companies never contact any references, some only
check the first one or two, and some check all. Regardless, these
people were willing to help you, and thanking them is simply a common
courtesy.

— Katharine Hansen, former speechwriter and college instructor who provides content for the Web site, Quintessential Careers, edits QuintZine, an electronic newsletter for jobseekers, and prepares job-search correspondence as chief writer for Quintessential Resumes and Cover Letters

Seventh Answer:

Don’t believe there’s any other way to do it unless this person has well-established ESP abilities…

Email the person first, letting them know what kind of position you’re seeking – this way, they should be able to tailor to reference to fit the
position. Let them know when you plan on calling them and call them at that
time. When you call them, thank them profusely and offer your assistance in
any way possible.

Now there’s always a possibility that they may not want to offer you a reference – be polite but re-emphasize how much you learned from them (you
know, suck up) and how much you’d appreciate their reference being a
springboard for your career. Unless they’re completely heartless, you should
walk away with a great reference.

— Steve Levy, Principal of outside-the-box Consulting

Eighth Answer:

Absolutely, you should contact her! It really doesn’t matter where she is NOW; what matters is that she worked closely with you three years ago and that, as such, she can speak about you with credibility and expertise.

It will be up to her, of course, to decide whether she WANTS to serve as a reference for you. But if you don’t even ask her, then there’s NO chance she will be! 🙂

— Peter Vogt, college career counselor, President of Career Planning Resources, and a Personal Career Coach with College to Career

Originally posted by alwin