Career ClassMr. Endicott

References

Knowledgeable about your work habits, character, special skills and potential

Enthusiastic about you and your career plans

Able to give detailed and accurate responses to questions about you as a candidate

Well respected in their field or in the local community

Generally you will be asked to provide a minimum of three references. Good choices are employers and faculty who would be able to attest to your skills and abilities. Other possibilities are advisors, co-workers, or individuals with whom you've worked in organizations or class projects.

Choosing your references who

are:

Get their permission Give them plenty of advance notice,

especially when they are writing letters

Make appointments with your references to share your immediate and long-range goals

Send a follow-up thank you note reiterating key points of your discussion

Brief them on your background and types of jobs you are seeking

Provide them with a resume to highlight your specific accomplishments

When possible, give references advance warning when you know employers will be contacting them

Keep them informed of the specific positions you are seeking and notify them when you accept a position

Asking for a reference

Faculty Academic Advisors Summer Work

Supervisors Coaches Internship Supervisors Club Advisors Anyone who has seen

you work

People who are good references

Place references on a separate sheet of paper according to the format below using the same paper and font style used for your resume:

References For (Your Name-Bold-larger font)

Your address, phone and e-mail (format the top of your reference page like the top of your resume)

Their Name Title Employer Business Address Phone Number (preferably work) E-mail address Their relationship to you

Example format for a job

reference

Employers typically contact references by phone, whereas graduate and professional schools usually request written letters.

If it is a job/internship interview, references are usually requested after a second interview, but keep a current list on hand at all times.

Graduate school references must be part of the application packet and must be completed and submitted prior to the application deadlines

Graduate school references are done in various ways but typically are submitted via the sending school’s letterhead and sealed OR the grad school will send you the forms they need completed by the reference OR the reference must go to a website and submit electronically.

Graduate school references are typically done by a faculty member in your discipline and they take TIME!

Job/Internship Reference VS.

Graduate School Reference

Make sure it is someone who will give you a GREAT reference not a good one

After leaving a job, a former employer is free to pass along negative information about you to prospective employers

Former employers who fear potential defamation and slander law suites have become crafty when answering employment reference questions. Rather than speak negatively about a former employee, some will opt to "No Comment" when asked critical employment questions regarding performance, termination, and eligibility for rehire.

Another common practice among leery employers is to refuse to give any information about an employee other than dates of employment and title.

Bad References