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Getting a Job Reference

I'm sure you can rustle up two people who would write something vaguely complimentary about you. Even so, manage the process, don't leave it to chance.

The South African golfer Gary Player was once asked whether he thought he was lucky on the golf course. 'Yes', he reportedly answered, 'and the more I practise the luckier I get.'

There's a clear message here for all aspiring job-changers: to get the best results, leave as little to chance as possible. For most of the process of putting a CV together, control is very much in our own hands. We choose the format, determine the content and style, and decide who to send it to.

Typically, though, when it comes to providing the names of referees to potential employers, we can find ourselves resorting to giving the contact details of a complete stranger, all too often a no-name jobsworth in the personnel department.

But is this really the best person you can come up with to impress the next prospective payer of your salary? Possibly not. Unless that person knows you personally, chances are they'll pass the reference request to one of their admin team who will dig out your file from the archives during a quiet moment. Apart from confirming the dates you worked for the company and maybe providing details of your sick record while employed there, the best you're likely to get out of that administrator is a bland, non-committal 'know of no reason why the candidate should not be taken on' reference. Not damaging admittedly, but no glowing testimonial either. So, how can we sort the referential wheat from the chaff?

According to the UK Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, most potential employers still make a point of seeking written references before confirming a job offer. Therefore, it's worth putting a bit of care into identifying people who are well placed to comment positively on you and the contribution you have made. Ideally, have a range of possible referees on the stocks so that you can put the most appropriate set of names up to the company that wants to take you on.

What will clinch a good reference for you, though, isn't so much the people you choose, but how well you manage your dealings with those individuals. I've had requests for references pop through the letterbox from time to time for people who I've worked with or known in the past.

Call me Mr Grumpy if you like, but I object to these requests just turning up out of the blue. In my mind, there's a certain etiquette to be followed here. Before naming anybody as a referee, I'd recommend making contact with them to ensure that they're happy to provide a reference. And remember that although the details of your spells working with that individual may be etched in your brain, your referee may well not remember your precise job title, the dates that you worked with them or indeed some of your specific achievements. For that reason, it makes good sense to let them have a copy of your CV so that they can refresh their memory. Depending on the relationship you have with your referee, you might even want to supply a draft reference that they might care to use. This way, you can be assured of a positive write-up. You've also re-established a connection with somebody who might well be a very useful networking contact at some point in the future.


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