{"id":2444,"date":"2013-06-20T07:00:07","date_gmt":"2013-06-20T14:00:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/careerservices\/?p=2444"},"modified":"2013-05-29T16:44:16","modified_gmt":"2013-05-29T23:44:16","slug":"how-to-get-the-most-out-of-your-references","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dev.blogs.oregonstate.edu\/careerservices\/2013\/06\/20\/how-to-get-the-most-out-of-your-references\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Get the Most Out of Your References"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"references\"<\/a>Choosing references might seem to be one of the most straightforward parts of the job-application process. Just list a couple of your recent supervisors – along with someone who can testify to your personal character – and you\u2019re all set, right? Maybe, if you\u2019ve had a wildly successful career thus far; but for most of us, references need to be handled with more care. A poorly-worded recommendation, or one from the wrong source, may actually turn out to be a liability – while a reference who\u2019s been properly prepped can give you a sharp edge on your competition. While you may be aware of the common CV mistakes<\/a> to avoid, you may not know about the errors people make in their lists of references. Here are three ways you can make sure your references serve as relevant and credible advocates to your prospective employer.<\/p>\n

Keep a distance<\/b>
\nOne of the most common job-application mistakes is listing references who look as if they\u2019re too close to you<\/a> to provide an objective opinion on your abilities. There isn\u2019t necessarily any harm in listing a reference who knows you outside of a work environment, but providing close friends or family members as references can cast a shadow of unprofessionalism. \u201cOne time,\u201d recalls Susan Heathfield<\/a>, management consultant and guide to the human resources section of About.com, \u201ca candidate gave me his list of references, and when I called the first individual on his list and asked her what her relationship to the candidate was, she said, \u2018I’m his wife.\u2019 Turns out she\u2019d advised him to list references who liked him and would say nice things about him.\u201d Most of us know better than to list a reference with such an obvious stake in our own success, but this story conveys an important point about the job application process: If a reference supports you primarily on the basis of a personal relationship, that person\u2019s commendations of your expertise and work ethic won\u2019t carry much weight. What\u2019s more, listing a reference who\u2019s been close to you throughout your life may invite additional risk: \u201cThat person may – intentionally or unintentionally – reveal things about you that you wouldn\u2019t want your prospective employer to know,\u201d says Paul Barada, chairman of the board of Barada Associates<\/a>. Employers may not mind an occasional character reference who’s known you since you were a child, and such recommendations could potentially work in your favor – \u201cbut,\u201d Heathfield cautions; \u201cno employer is going to hire you based on a character reference alone.\u201d<\/p>\n

Branch out
\n<\/b>The obvious candidates for career-based references may not be the ones who\u2019ll provide the strongest recommendations on your behalf. Your immediate supervisor at your current job probably works with you on a daily basis, which means that he or she is likely to be as sharply attuned to your mistakes as to your successes – not to mention that your current employer has a vested interest in keeping you on board. So where can you turn for relevant references? One potential goldmine is your previous positions: Supervisors from earlier jobs may be inclined to remember your work in a favorable light. Along the same lines, previous co-workers – especially those who served with you on boards or project teams – can provide detailed rundowns of your talents, as can fellow members in professional associations<\/a>. Another option is to reach upward and solicit a recommendation from high-ranking officials in your current company, such as the president, VP and so on. Even if you haven\u2019t worked closely with these individuals, they may be able to offer large-scale perspectives on your achievements, while also bringing some serious credibility to the table. Ideally, Barada says, you should aim to list a mixture of superiors, peers and subordinates. \u201cA subordinate may have a lot of polite things to say about you,\u201d he explains, \u201cbut a peer or a superior can provide a more balanced perspective.\u201d<\/p>\n

Provide guidance
\n<\/b>Asking a reference to praise specific skills in your stockpile might seem like an exercise in egotism, but it\u2019s actually a crucial step<\/a> in the job-seeking process – especially if you\u2019re looking to move up the career ladder. \u201cAlways prepare your references by talking to them and asking permission to list them,\u201d Heathfield says. For one thing, this is just polite; it gives you the chance to alert your references that they may be asked to offer recommendations on your behalf. Chatting with potential references can also save time and energy in the long run: Some employers\u2019 corporate policies prohibit employees from serving as references, aside from providing objective facts about your position and dates of employment with the company – so it\u2019s worth your while to ask about policies like these before reserving a reference spot for a supportive co-worker. Perhaps even more importantly, though, preparing your references gives you a chance to coach them a little, and guide them toward the kinds of information on which your prospective employer is likely to look most favorably. If you\u2019ve got a strong working relationship with a reference, you\u2019ll be doing yourself a favor – and making the process easier on your reference – by specifying precisely which of your skills and attributes you\u2019re hoping to emphasize to potential employers. Match each reference with his or her specific area of expertise, and these recommendations can serve as some of the most powerful tools in your job-application arsenal. \u201cIt\u2019s not at all impolite to ask this,\u201d Heathfield says; \u201cin fact, it\u2019s a very common practice, and it’s also considered good job-searching behavior.\u201d<\/p>\n

Competition for high-ranking positions is fierce in any industry – so if you\u2019re gunning for a higher salary or a corner office, you\u2019ll need to bring all your talents to bear on the challenge. No single success can take the place of presenting a powerful overall image, from your CV to your social connections. Still, even overnight successes can\u2019t succeed entirely on their own – and a list of well-chosen, well-prepared references will help tip the odds in your favor.<\/p>\n

Posted by Ben Thomas who writes feature articles in which he offers job hunting advice for The Riley Guide. For more information on colleges and careers, check out <\/i>www.rileyguide.com<\/a>.
\n<\/i><\/p>\n

NOTE: <\/strong>This post was written by a guest blogger and the content for the post approved by Oregon State University Career Services. We are not responsible for the content of\u00a0 the websites linked in the post.<\/p>\n

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Choosing references might seem to be one of the most straightforward parts of the job-application process. Just list a couple of your recent supervisors – along with someone who can testify to your personal character – and you\u2019re all set, right? Maybe, if you\u2019ve had a wildly successful career thus far; but for most of… Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":441,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[569],"class_list":["post-2444","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-references"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.blogs.oregonstate.edu\/careerservices\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2444","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.blogs.oregonstate.edu\/careerservices\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.blogs.oregonstate.edu\/careerservices\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.blogs.oregonstate.edu\/careerservices\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/441"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.blogs.oregonstate.edu\/careerservices\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2444"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/dev.blogs.oregonstate.edu\/careerservices\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2444\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2448,"href":"https:\/\/dev.blogs.oregonstate.edu\/careerservices\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2444\/revisions\/2448"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.blogs.oregonstate.edu\/careerservices\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2444"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.blogs.oregonstate.edu\/careerservices\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2444"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.blogs.oregonstate.edu\/careerservices\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2444"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}