Resumes: Making the Most of Your References

Making the Most of Your References

I recently worked with a client and we prepared a wonderful resume that clearly demonstrated his qualifications for the positions he sought. Just as we finished he said, "Now if I can only get an employer interested enough to call my references so they can tell them just how qualified I am for the job."

If you think it is your reference's responsibility to sell you to prospective employers, you will be searching for a job for a long time. It is solely the job seeker's responsibility to toot their horn and verbally persuade an interviewer that their credentials clearly match the job requirements.

Most prospective employers will expect you to bring to the interview a list of three professional references. These individuals should be aware of your job performance and can personally attest to your qualifications. Here are some tips on making the most of your references:

1. Call your references and ask permission to use them.

2. Obtain their current work phone number, job title, employer, and address.
Confirm the correct spelling of their name.

3. Send them a copy of your most recent resume to refresh their memory of your work history and to identify your job/career objective.

4. Prepare a typed list of your three to five references using their name, their job title and employer, work address, and phone number. Some job seekers use the work and home phone numbers of their references.

5. If the individual no longer works for the organization where they knew of your performance, you might want to state formerly Controller, ABC Corporation with their current phone numbers and work address.

6. Follow up with your references to keep them posted on how your search is proceeding and letting them know positions and organizations of interest.

7. Send follow-up letters at the end of your search, thanking your references for your support and updating them on your current position.