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How to Get and Use Job References
Bob Weinstein is a journalist who covers technology, project management, the workplace and career development.
Solid references are as important to job seekers as a well-constructed resume and finely honed interview skills. There isn’t a recruiter, headhunter or HR professional who would dispute this essential job-hunting commandment.
Letters and phone recommendations can push a strong candidate to the top of the list. Yet as important as job references are, search professionals tell us that many job-hunters give short shrift to the reference-gathering process. They naively place the obligatory phrase “References available upon request” at the bottom of their resume, never considering that prospective employers will follow through and call each one. Make no mistake about it: A job reference can be a deal-maker or a deal-breaker. For that reason alone, job candidates ought to take them very seriously.
Start the job-hunting process assuming that every reference given to a prospective employer will be called. You ought to be concerned about what prior employers may say about you--especially if you have a tarnished job history with frequent or poorly planned job changes. When it comes to asking for career-building references, there is real truth in the time-worn saying, “Don’t burn bridges.”
Now lets run through the ABCs of job references--why they’re important, and how to get them.
Reference-checking …
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