The first week in May is Update Your References Week, originated and sponsored by Career Directors International, of which I am a member. If you are looking for a new job or if you would consider changing jobs for the right opportunity, you need to have a current set of references chosen and prepared.
When you get down to it, in today’s employment climate, everybody is a job seeker. Each of us is only a pink slip away from a job search.
With that in mind, it’s advisable to have a current resume at all times. What many potential job seekers don’t remembers is that they must have a set of references ready, as well.
Should you start a job search, expected or not, you’re going to need to choose and prepare your references before your first interview. Even if they are not requested at that time, you can be proactive and offer them if you have your list ready.
Steps to preparing references
Here are the steps to take to prepare properly with more details available on the linked pages:
- Before you give reference information to your prospective employer, you must spend some time choosing your references.
- When you know who you want to ask to be a reference, contact them for their permission and prepare them to act as your references.
- Know and be prepared to overcome any obstacles you might encounter with your references.
- Finally, if you have any worries about how your references will perform for you, check your references.
When your references don’t do their job
If you are landing plenty of interviews, the prospective company is looking promising, and suddenly, they go cold, the problem could be with one or more your references. Here is how to find out if your references are sabotaging your job search. You may need to hire a reference checking service to help you determine which reference is not performing in your best interest. The problem may not even be intentional, so finding out is important.
If this is the direction you determine is best, learn how services check references and then, if you need to, how to hire a reference checking service.
Following these steps should put you on the right track so that by the end of Update Your References Week, you’ll have renewed confidence in landing the job you want.
If you are landing interviews but not jobs, contact me right away for help in determining and resolving the issues.
Related
- How to choose your references
- How to prepare your references
- How to overcome obstacles with your references
- How to check your references
- How to detect problems with your references
- What is a reference checking service
- How services check references
- How to hire a reference checking service
