\n\tLet’s just jump right in with the good news. The good news is that not every prospective employer will require you to provide a list of professional references. The not so good news is that, although references may not be specifically required, many employers include them as an option. In such cases, it is always a good idea to stay competitive and submit a list of references. Every potential job seeker should always be ready to back-up their application claims with credible sources, which may mean you have some work to do. <\/p>\n
\n\tBefore we delve into the ins and outs of professional references, let’s have a look at why employers request them.<\/p>\n
\n\tIn most cases, you will be asked about references from your previous employers. Your past bosses may be asked to elaborate on your skills and job performance, and often they will be prompted to answer why you no longer work for them. In other words, you wouldn’t be very wise to provide a reference to the accounting job that you left after two weeks because you got bored working with numbers all the time. <\/p>\n
\n\tHowever, sometimes the point of requesting references is to see how much effort you are willing to put into getting the prospective job. Prospective employers want to see that you´re capable of compiling a list of people who are willing to speak well of your professionalism. <\/p>\n
\n\tWhen applying for more advanced and independent job positions, your future employer may be interested into finding out how many and what kinds of professional connections were you able to establish in your past, including ones that may be relevant for your new employment. <\/p>\n
\n\tObviously, you want your references to be people with whom you have a positive relationship. A professional reference also needs to be related to the actual prospective employment. While a fishing buddy may supply you with the most honorable mentions, it is not exactly what an employer is looking for. Stick to job relationships, such as former or current bosses, managers, co-workers and clients. If you're having trouble coming up with three or more professional references, for example if you've just finished school, you might have to get creative. You might ask the faculty sponsor of a newspaper you worked on or a club you lead, or a professor whose lab you worked in. Or you could ask the manager from a volunteer position. <\/p>\n
\n\tWhen you ask someone to serve as a professional reference, you're asking them for a favor. Be sure to approach your reference in a way that acknowledges this. Ideally, you should address them in person or over the phone. Explain what kind of job are you applying for and also tell them why you have specifically chosen them as a potential reference. Sometimes, it may be a good idea to supply the members of your professional reference team with a request letter. The letter will serve as a reminder of your positive attributes and will generally create a more official atmosphere. <\/p>\n
\n\tThere are two ways in which a professional reference is generally given. Sometimes, you will be asking your former employer or client to simply write a letter of recommendation in which they will summarize why they feel you are a perfect match for the desired job. More often, you will be providing your prospective employer with direct contact to your reference person for more unofficial, personal communication. It is always a good idea to accompany your request with a short summary of information you would like your reference person to cover in their writing or during their interview.<\/p>\n
\n\tThis is by far the simplest part of the process. You can usually submit the list as part of your resume, making sure you include the following information for each reference:<\/p>\n
\n\tRemember, under no circumstances should you put reference information on your list without receiving permission to do so beforehand.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Let’s just jump right in with the good news. The good news is that not every prospective employer will require you to provide a list of professional references. The not so good news is that, although references may not be specifically required, many employers include them as an option. In such cases, it is always […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-81","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-applications"],"yoast_head":"\n