Within the last month, I’ve provided several references for friends and former students. Since I don’t recall being asked to be a reference by a couple of them, I realized I need to add reference-check etiquette to future classroom discussions. In the meantime, here are some basic rules:
- Pick your references wisely. Do they make sense for the job you are seeking and support messages you are wanting them to underscore.
- Always ask permission before providing a reference’s name and contact information to a prospective employer.
- Make sure your references understand who might be contacting them and offer to provide possible talking points that might be helpful in their in discussing your experience and qualifications. In other words, make it easy for them to provide the most helpful reference possible.
- Don’t provide references until specifically asked for them. Don’t attach to your resume. Employers usually ask for references when they are narrowing down the search or about ready to make an offer.
- Don’t simply provide the name, title and email address of your references. Exceed employer expectations. They will notice and be impressed. The artwork above from Indeed suggests a format that will impress the prospective hiring manager. Info should include
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- Reference name
- Reference position
- Reference company
- Reference address
- Reference phone number
- Reference email address
- A brief summary of your relationship with the reference
Finally, keep references updated whether or not you get the job. You don’t want them to hear the news from others or your LinkedIn update.