By Gerrit Hall
"Will you vouch for me?"
If you're a job seeker, you've probably asked that question at one
point. After all, what is more valuable than someone agreeing that, yes,
in fact, you are the best employee for the job?
Your landlord probably asked for a reference, the local coffee shop
wants one too, and the large firm where you'd like to get your foot in
the door wants three.
Considering that references are so valuable, I think it's time to share three important bits of info about them:
1. There's a vocabulary.
If you've ever had someone vouch for you, you probably called them your
reference. After all, that's what the employer says and just about
everyone else. However, this isn't exactly correct.
Strictly speaking, the person who vouches for you is the referee while you are the referent. The reference
is the actual information given to an employer. Unless your referee is a
real stickler for semantics, this probably won't come up. However, it's
good information to have on hand.
2. They don't like surprises
How would you like it if someone were to call you and quiz you about
someone you worked with some time ago? You probably wouldn't like it.
The same goes for the people who vouch for you. Prevent any
surprise-induced mishaps by following this two-step process:
- Ask the person before you submit their information as a referee.
- Hold onto their information until an employer asks for it, then give your referee a head's up that a call might be coming.
Add this to the long list of reasons why your resume should never
include reference information. This makes it oh-so-easy for prospective
employers to call up your referees whenever they see fit. Trust me,
they will.
3. Help them help you.
As you progress in your career, you'll probably start serving as a
referee for your colleagues. As much as you want to, there's only so
much information that you'll be able to remember when that fated phone
call comes in from Mr. Bob from XYZ Inc.
Instead of leaving your referees in a pinch to find good information to
share about you, give them a cheat sheet. Your resume is excellent for
this purpose. Your referee will be able to study up on your career
goals, experience and skills without having to scour your LinkedIn page.
What do you think? What else should job seekers know about references? Share your thoughts in the comments below!