Recently we have been sharing a lot of helpful information for everyone who is interested in finding a new job, from possible jobs to apply to with certain skills, to tips for being successful in job interviews. And, to continue the streak of good content in the same train of thought, today we will talk about a question that many of us ask ourselves but few of us get to answer.
People who are looking for work have many questions, you have to be honest. But, one of the most frequent is, how can I ask for job references? Especially for those with little experience, may struggle to find the right way to address the people in need, or they may not know who to turn to on this matter. Many questions arise around this topic, how to ask for them? When? And to whom?
Well, here we will try to answer them together.
Let’s go little by little.
How?
First, it is necessary to know that job references are something that your employer can ask you as soon as you send your resume and they are interested, or at the time of the job interview. Therefore, you should start working on getting referrals as soon as you can. The sooner the better. This way you can prevent the person to whom you made the request from making you delay in sending them.
You must choose wisely the person you will ask for references. Why? Because you don’t want your new employer or interviewer to call this person, and when push comes to shove, find an account of all your shortcomings as a worker and cause the opposite effect to what you wanted.
Once you have made a list of the people you plan to call to ask for the favor of giving your work references, you must ask for it using the formula that will never fail you when writing any work text. Keep it simple, direct, and friendly.
You don’t need to go too far or go around the bush, most of us are short on time so she will surely appreciate that you are concise, but always be kind and decent with the way you speak or ask for things. Few people can deny a gesture of kindness to a genuinely kind person.
It may be a bit of an obvious observation but look for people who can speak highly of your work. Always maintain objectivity but with an emphasis on showing your talents and all the good you can bring to this company.
Now, if you’re wondering, how do you put these tips we just gave you into words? Here we will leave you a template that you can use as a reference to request your next job references.
Template
Dear ______:
I am contacting you to ask you to provide me with a referral for a new job opportunity that I am seeking with ______________. I fully understand if you can’t commit to this. Please let me know ASAP.
I learned a lot about the industry while working with you at _____________, and I think I could provide the kind of knowledge about my skills that would increase my chances of landing this new position. As you know, I have recently worked in ___________, in the _________ area. The ___________ opportunity is related, but it would also require many of the _____________ techniques that I developed while working for you.
Thank you very much for considering my request. I am enclosing a copy of my updated resume and job posting for your review. __________ from Human Resources will be the contact person at _____ who will get in touch if you agree to provide me with the reference.
If you have any questions or need more information, feel free to let me know.
Sincerely,
Jane Doe.
To Who?
Since now you know how you will ask for job references, and how you will put your intention into words, it’s worth asking, who will you address this message to? This is crucial. It’s, perhaps, the most important part of planning how to ask someone for job references, because the person you choose could be the difference between that definitive yes or no that the new company gives you.
Going straight to the point, you should find people who think good things about you, hold you in esteem, and recognize your professional worth in an objective and realistic way.
You don’t want baseless sycophants, but you don’t want someone you didn’t get on the best of terms with either, because let’s be honest, what you want is to get that job and if someone talks bad about you to a person who doesn’t know you, it is very likely that they will contaminate the image that is being formed of you.
Reach out to people who are objective enough to be honest about your job performance, but who esteem you and speak genuinely well about your talent. It can be tutors or mentors from your early years as a professional or student, or bosses with whom you had good relationships previously.
When?
We already have everything we need: the email is written, with the recipient and everything. Now when is the right time to send it? Although you may not be asking yourself this, it is something that you should take into account. You have to be smart and think about each action to take, success is in the details.
The best times to ask for job references are:
When you are about to start a new job: We don’t know if at any time your new boss or company will want to hear references if they were not requested at the time of hiring, but it is better to be forewarned.
Send the email to all the people on your list by references, and have them in your inventory, ready for any situation in which you may be needed.
When you think about changing jobs: Either because you are looking for a new job to leave the one you already have, or because the outlook of your workplace indicates that you will soon leave the company, these are the right times to start building a portfolio of job references and have them available for when you need them. Go send all the necessary emails, and check from time to time if you have received a response.
Now you have everything you need to know about how to ask for job references, from what to say, to whom and when. Remember that it is very important that you constantly check if you have received a response from someone, negative or positive, and that whenever you are going to provide someone’s data for reference, you must notify them beforehand so that they are attentive to the call and know exactly what to say.
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