Authors: Ellen Gordon Reeves
Tags: #Non-Fiction, #Self Help
Can I Wear My Nose Ring to the Interview?: A Crash Course in Finding, Landing, and Keeping Your First Real Job (24 page)
Your references will be asked the same kinds of questions you will be asked in an interview. Familiarize yourself with them so you may prepare your recommender with at-the-ready anecdotes.
There will be factual questions, checking up on what appears on your résumé: How do you know the candidate? For how long and in what context have you known him? When did he work with you? What was his role and title? What were his responsibilities? How long did he stay? Was he promoted? Why did he leave? What was his starting and ending salary? Who was his direct supervisor?
There will be specific questions about your competence and skills. A reference may be asked about your writing, telephone manner, foreign language proficiency, computer and organizational skills, and so on.
There will be questions about your work ethic: Did he regularly meet deadlines? Was he on time? Did he miss work frequently? Stay late and come in early as necessary? Was he honest and reliable?
There will be questions about how you fit into a team: How did he respond to direction? Did he take initiative? Behave professionally? How did he respond to constructive criticism? Did he get along well with his supervisor? Colleagues? Clients? Was he pleasant, enthusiastic, easy to work with?
Q. What if my former supervisor speaks little or poor English?
A.
You may need to ask a colleague to serve as a “translator” or have the supervisor compose a written reference and edit it with him if he is open to it. Let the employer know what the situation is.
FORMATTING YOUR REFERENCE SHEET
Unlike a résumé, a reference sheet requires just basic formatting (see model, opposite). Since you’re listing only three or four names, you won’t fill up a whole page—and that’s fine. The most important thing is that all of the information you list be accurate. Double- and triple-check phone numbers and e-mail addresses for typos, and follow these simple guidelines:
Use the same font and paper as you do for your résumé and cover letter. Lead with a centered heading: “References for FirstName LastName.” Below that, center your contact information in case the page gets separated from your résumé.
Left-justify the recommenders’ names, titles, addresses, phone numbers, and e-mail addresses. Again, make sure all information is up-to-date and free of typos. Verify contact information when you first call or e-mail your references.
List references either in reverse chronological order (most recent first) or most to least relevant.
Find a way to make your references correspond to something on your résumé so the employer understands the professional connection. If a reference has left the company at which you met, indicate his former position: “CEO, Nature Incorporated; former Manager, Walden Pond.”
Q. Will employers be impressed if I list a celebrity as a reference?
A.
Famous names are fine—if the person really knows you, and knows you in a professional context. Otherwise this can backfire big-time. Don’t list the President as a reference unless you worked closely with him in the White House. (He’s not going to reply directly to a request for a reference anyway.)
Q. How do I thank my references?
A.
You definitely need to thank them, but
how
depends on your relationship. For one person, a note might suffice, while for another, a gift (flowers, a
plant) or a meal might be in order. It’s nice to keep in touch with the person throughout the process, alerting him when you’ve been offered and accepted (or declined) the job. Even if you don’t get the position, you should write a thank-you note. You might say, “I was disappointed that despite your help, I was not offered the job. If you have any other leads or contacts in this field, they’d be much appreciated.” You never know.
The format of a reference sheet isn’t complicated. Just be consistent and use the same font styles as you do on your résumé.
Q. How and when will employers contact my references?
A.
Employers will check references at various times in the hiring process: often when they’ve narrowed the field down to a few top candidates and sometimes right before they offer you a job. In some cases they may wait until after they have offered you a job and tell you the offer depends on how your references check out (not a great practice). Some never check references, but don’t count on that.
Q. What if my reference has moved to another company?
A.
You can still use that person as a reference. Specify his current place of employment as well as where he worked with you. Format should be simple: “Diane Jones, Metropolitan Savings, Director, Communications Department (former supervisor as Associate Director of Communications at Powers).”
Q. Can I have more than one reference from the same place?
A.
Yes, but make sure titles and responsibilities are clear. An employer won’t want to waste time figuring out whom to call or what the pecking order really is.
Q. My current boss doesn’t know I’m looking for a new job. Is it a problem not to use her as a reference?
A.
During an interview, you may very well be asked whether your current employer will recommend you. Be honest. First, you may need to say, “In fact, my current employer does not know I’m looking, so I need to ask you to keep my search confidential.” This is a perfectly valid and normal request.
But be aware that a prospective employer may check you out informally by calling people she knows at your company. Any item on your résumé opens you up to an unasked-for reference check.
Q. My supervisor at my last job hated me, but I had positive relationships with other people in the company. Can I use one of them as a reference, or will that raise the issue of why I didn’t use my boss? Should I just leave that job off my résumé entirely?
A.
If you were at that job for any significant length of time—over three months
or so—you should leave it on your résumé. If you’re asked why your boss can’t speak for you, be honest but neutral. Cite a difference of opinion: “My former boss and I did not have the same working style and he would not necessarily be my best reference. My colleague Eric knows my work just as well.”
Q. Should I put references on my résumé or just say “references available upon request”?
A.
Please see
chapter 3
, but the bottom line here is: NEITHER. NEVER.
Though you’ve carefully thought out your official references, you should know that informal references have also become important. As the work world has grown increasingly litigious, employers have become wary of negative references, and ever more cautious and tight-lipped. Some corporations even prohibit official references; they may only acknowledge that a particular employee worked there, stipulating position and dates of employment. Many employees will offer verbal or “off the record” recommendations but won’t commit negative comments to paper.
All of which goes to show the importance of the informal reference. Rather than going down your official list, an employer may choose to pick up the phone and call someone she happens to know. How can you prepare for that? The best strategy is to maintain professionalism across all of your various jobs or job-related activities. No one’s perfect, and personality conflicts are just a part of life—but if you do a good job, no one will really be able to take you to task.
Q. My best reference is having a sex change operation. How should I list him/her?
