Monday 13 April 2015

Whom to select as the best job references

If you are a  job-seeker than it is very likely that many a times either in the interview or during the process of filling the online application forms for applying to the desired jobs you have faced this question where you have to name a couple of references either professional or sometimes personal to the prospective employers. References are mostly asked during the final stages of an interview and if you want to maximise your chances of getting hired then you need to put some thought and select your professional references carefully.

Applying to a job is not an easy process whether you are a beginner or an experienced professional, it demands lot of time and attention be it writing resume, polishing up the cover letter, attending interviews, etc. and sometimes we are so much indulged in this process that we take no notice of a very prominent area that is choosing the right persons as references for our jobs.
 
Not many employers ask about personal references. Potential employers might request you two or more references either personal or professional or sometimes both! Generally personal references are asked to candidates who have low work experience or are university pass-outs and have not yet held any sort of paid position. Personal references may include professors, academic counsellors and advisors, university guides, tutors etc. but avoid mentioning parents, relatives or friends as personal references. It is quite easy to pick some of the persons as personal references but when we are asked about professional references it becomes a bit difficult particularly when we are not prepared to answer those questions. The best professional references you can have are those people who are interested in you and your career developments. They can be your current or previous company bosses or some renowned personalities whom you have come in contact with and served in your career for a certain period and the ones who have appreciated you for your performance in the job and admired you for your effort in one or the other way.
 
It is generally considered as an advantage if you are asked about job references by the hiring manager especially during the personal interview round since many a times it means that you are already finalised for the position. It is also advantageous if it is asked by the company during preliminary stages like filling the job application forms through portals or via telephone, email, etc. but usually the hiring manager get to this phase only after reviewing your profile thoroughly, getting a brief idea about how you would perform at the particular job and once it is found that your credentials are suitable for the position they may ask you to name some of the references and interact with them so as to develop a better understanding of you. One should understand that if right persons are chosen as references by the job seeker than it can not only guarantee you the desired job but also help you create good impression in the mind of the employer.

Most of the prospective employer, not very often bother about the references whom you have named or mentioned in the resume rather they already take it in a positive manner, that means naming alone can sometime be fruitful. But one should also be careful in choosing the right person as the reference since, the employer may contact them before offering you the job.

Always choose references who can assure your strong points, confirm the positions that suits you the most, say something good about your skills, etc.
 
References are mostly used by the top employers to judge the candidates better by knowing their strengths, work ethics, crisis handling and also their relations with the references by the way they answer to the questions asked. Hence it is very important to name the right persons before the employers as references and is also essential to keep good relations with them by staying in touch via meetings (professional or personal), occasional emails or phone calls, social media and updating them about your current career and life events.
 
 
 



 

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