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Your Best JobReferences

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How to Choose, Prepare and Deliver

I would suggest you have five pjob references. Why five? It’s always good to have an odd number. The five job references should be from specific types of people as listed below.

Five Job References

  1. From your boss. Preferably I know it’s very difficult to get a reference from your boss, but maybe you have a boss who’s retired or a boss who has moved on to another appointment and is willing to give a reference for you.
  2. The next one should be somebody lateral to you or, in other words, somebody on the same level as you, who has worked intimately with you, knows your ins and outs, and knows your attributes. They would be able to speak to your character, etc., and are willing to give a reference for you.
  3. Another one should be an employee. Pick an employee that you’ve worked with and they’ve liked your leadership. They like your management and you believe they can give you a great reference.
  4. The next one should be a supplier or a vendor.
  5. The last one should be a client or customer.

You should also have your personal references typed up so they’re ready to take with you in order to give to the interviewer. If you’re on the zoom call, you need to email your references and then they can start checking.

But also here’s an addendum…

You also need to have plenty of recommendations on your LinkedIn profile because one of the screening processes that the executive recruiters and those who are hiring look for on a LinkedIn profile are looking for is recommendations.

If you’re totally void of recommendations, what message does that send?

My recommendation to you will be to have five recommendations per job held. Now, that may seem very daunting and it’s not the top of everybody’s list to give a recommendation, but go and solicit as many as you can, the more the better.

If you are in a career transition or want to manage your career, I can help you. Please look me up on social media. I am active on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. So go and view my LinkedIn profile and go and view my website, www.aneliteresume.com.

Smart Phone Job Applications? Not So Smart.

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We are a society in love with our smart phones and mobile devices, managing our lives online. Our calendars, communications, social media, and even entertainment, are all available at the swipe of a screen. Many of us use mobile devices to get business done at top speed, too. Calls, texts, Skype; our phones and tablets are in our hands all day. So isn’t it natural that when we apply for our next job that we do it on our smart phones? Of course. Is that wise? Perhaps not.

  • No mobile phone allowed sign. Customizing documents – Small touch screens and smaller keyboards are just not made for larger jobs such as writing or editing to proofread or customize resumes and cover letters. Smart phones often default to US spelling which can be a detriment when you apply to jobs outside the US. Set your Word language to match the country in which you are applying.
  • Writing polished responses – While many job search sites and careers pages are mobile-friendly, that often means making those answer boxes shrink to fit on little screens, making it harder to review and proofread your answers before submission.
  • Impulse control – The ease of the single click solution is seductive. Click and you’ve added a resume. Click to autofill contact information. The ease of the click leads you away from thoughtful and targeted answers, documents, and choices.

You know that customizing your resume and cover letter is key to highlighting the match between your skills and experience and the desired position. It’s important to research the company before you apply so that you can frame your answers directly around that organization’s needs, and those answers should be well-written. A savvy candidate also checks their network of contacts for hiring influencers at the company before applying. So, no matter how useful our tablets and smart phones might be for so many other tasks, smart phone job applications? Not so smart.