Better References Improve Your Chances of Getting the Right Job

If you’re a recent college graduate looking for an entry level job or one of many Americans who has been forced into job hunting again, you might want to read Bulletproofing Your References in the Hunt for a New Job by Joann Lublin.
Employers are more picky because the job market is flooded with candidates for both jobs and internships. Besides having a stellar resume, a job seeker must also have impeccable references. Here’s what Lublin suggests:

• Create and maintain an up-to-date “bank” of referrals – It’s wise to get contact information from colleagues or supervisors upon completing a “job well done” when exiting a company.

• • This is especially good advice for anyone doing an internship or working as a temp.

• Prepare your references for hiring managers’ tough questions – let references know what you want them to focu on, such as the role you played, your accomplishments, and the nature of your relatiionship. Lublin also advises cluing references in on any shortcomings that you’ve corrected or are working on.
• Contact references after they’ve spoken on your behalf, and use innovative methods to stay in touch a few times a year – It’s always a good idea to thank your references, especially if they were instrumental in helping you get the job you wanted. Following up and staying in touch shows that you value your references as more than just means to an end.
• Don’t clutter you resume with unnecessary verbiage about contacts – Leave “references available upon request” off your resume.
• Don’t offer outdated references or “big names” who barely know you – “Name dropping” can backfire if the person hardly remembers meeting you. It’s much more impressive to use a big name when that person actually worked with you as a mentor or supervisor.
• Don’t seek endorsements from the same person again without describing the outcome of your last request – People like to know when they’ve been helpful, and when they haven’t; it’s polite to let them know why.

Finding a job is much harder these days because there are so many people competing for the same positions. Anything you can do to help set yourself apart from the masses is well worth the effort. Establishing great references to go along with your great resume is a good place to start.

Originally posted by Candice A