When you’re ready to step into the professional world, or if you’re thinking about applying to work for another company, your prospective employers will be eager to know of your credibility. Your education and work experience are important but, it is more important to have someone vouch for your personal traits.
Your employer cannot trust your word alone to assess if you will be a good fit for the company. You might think you are cooperative and a good team worker but, unless your previous colleagues or your earlier employer comes forth to testify for your competency, your word is good for nothing.
Since the importance of a healthy reference on your resume cannot be denied, we are here to guide you on how to go about extending your list of relevant references and having them at hand to support you when need be.
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Diversify your list of references.
Your social circle speaks for you. It helps if you list a few references from your past workplace. They can testify for your attitude at work and your team-building skills. However, it is equally important that you increase your personal acquaintances, especially if you are choosing to change fields.
You may never know if your friend from school is now a leading architect and might be able to provide a credible reference for you at a construction company. Keep in contact with all your friends and the random stranger on the bus with whom you struck a memorable conversation.
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Keep them in the loop
If you have listed someone down as your reference, keep in touch with them. Inform them about the position you have applied for as they need to target different character traits for different positions.
Your previous job description may have needed you to be an autocratic leader but your latest job might ask of you to be more democratic. If the previous employer talks of your headstrong personality, it may turn counter-productive for you.
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Express your gratitude
You might put your CV for different job positions and they all may ring up your references to know about your professional life and attitude, which takes a lot of the time and energy of your references. The sensible thing is to thank them for their kindness whether or not you land a job. This will make them eager to be of help to you in the future.
Keep your references at hand and keep revisiting this list. Also, keep a tab of the different places your references are working at because their professional credibility works in your favor.