For many job hunters, one of the hardest parts of the search is choosing professional or personal references to share with potential employers. So when a reference goes incommunicado, many job seekers ignore the problem and hope it goes away. It probably won’t go away, but your job options might suffer — if your reference isn’t available for you, it’s doubtful she’ll be available to hiring managers calling on your behalf. If your reference has vanished, it’s time to rethink your references — and how you select job references.
No Such Thing as Old Faithful — at Least Not in Job References
Do you use the same references for jobs again and again? That may not be the best idea. First, circumstances might have changed for your reference, leaving them with little time to spend discussing you with hiring manager. Second, if you’ve been using the same references for years, have you checked to see whether the phone numbers or email addresses you’re using are still good? Ideally, you should recheck your references’ information each time you give them out, or periodically during an ongoing job search. Double-checking this information is a great way to remind colleagues that you’re still seeking a job, which may lead to opportunities you didn’t know existed.
Should Auld Acquaintance Be Forgot? Maybe…
We like to think of ourselves as unforgettable, but the truth is former employers or co-workers may not be as familiar with us as we are with them — or at least their contact information. Your reference may not be returning your calls because he doesn’t know who you are or why you’re calling, and doesn’t want to admit it. You should be using job references who are familiar with your current life situation as well as with your work history, so don’t rely on co-workers you haven’t seen in years, because it will become evident to hiring managers that this person knows little about how you’ve progressed. If you don’t have any professional references from the recent past, beef up your resume by volunteering or seeking temporary employment in your field.
Check Your Own References Like a Hiring Manager
The worst thing you can do in a job search is to give out references cold (i.e., without asking permission first). If you ask someone’s permission to use her as a reference, and she seems less than thrilled at the prospect, find someone else. It could be that your reference isn’t as impressed with your work as you thought.
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