References are essential in today’s competitive job market. In order to impress upon a potential employer you not only need to have a killer resume, great interviewing skills, and the right personality fit for their environment you also need to prove that you can do what you say you can. The only way to communicate this information is through professional references. Many companies are no longer willing to provide phone references when companies contact them directly. They fear that their former employees may become concerned with their feedback. However, there are steps you can take to ensure that you get the best references to provide a potential employer.
- Choose your mentor. Before you even ask for a letter you need to determine who you want representing you to an employer. The best option for you is someone who has acted as a mentor in your career. This could be a former manager or an educator. It could also be a local business person who helped you on your way. There may also be times that you want to ask a former colleague as someone who worked directly with you and can speak to your day to day experience.
- Highlight why they are qualified to speak on your behalf. When you approach you want to let them know why you choose them and how you believe their opinion is more than relevant for your job search. By telling them why you are choosing them as your reference it will give them an indication of what you learned most from them.
- Provide a template for your letter. You can give your reference a sample or ideas to choose from to construct your letter of recommendation. For example, if you know that the future employer is looking for someone who has excellent customer service skills let them know you would love for them to highlight the way you’ve interacted with customers throughout your career.
- Allow your mentor to say whatever they like. However, after you’ve spoken with them and made suggestions you need to let your reference write the letter on their own. Don’t ask for edits and don’t make suggestions after the fact. Whatever they write will be the best reference letter for you.
Do you need more information on letters of reference? CornerStone Staffing is currently hiring for jobs in Dallas TX so call us today!
