“Yes, he worked here.”

Wow . . . what a nice reference. That ought to greatly enhance your chance of landing that new job. Here’s hoping the recruiter was not counting on a top-notch reference to move you to the head of the candidate list.

The truth is, if we put as much effort into reference preparation as we do into our resumes and interviews, our references could work much harder on our behalf . . . and maybe even be a deciding factor in a tight market.

Ask and Ye Shall Receive.

Don’t let your former co-workers be surprised when asked to say something stellar about your performance and personality.  “Uh . . . ” is not a good response in your interview, and it won’t sound good from your reference, either. 

Choose references who can honestly assess your good points, and then remind them on occasion they may very well get a call. 

Don’t limit your references to former supervisors, either.  Sometimes your co-workers know more about your accomplishments and can especially evaluate the oft-asked teamwork question.  One non-work personal reference is usually a good addition to the list.

Reference Prep 101

Potential employers obviously want your references to say good things about you.  But they aren’t looking for random superlatives; they are seeking confirmation that the qualities you highlighted in your interview are also those that have stood out with previous employers.

In other words, they expect that what they hear from the reference will match whatever you’ve already told them about yourself. 

That’s why reference prep 101 is a must.  Tell your references the qualities that are most important to your potential employer; mention some of relevant accomplishments and anecdotes that came up in your interview. You might even send them a bullet-point list to help them if they’re open to it; it depends on the nature and extent of your relationship.

Keep in Touch

Speaking of relationships, a reference who hasn’t seen you in a while may have trouble coming up with the hoped-for superlatives. So key in on references with which you still have some level of communication or relationship. Sharlyn Lauby, HR Bartender, says it’s essential.

Your references can only comment if they know what’s going on with you. Are you using a person’s name from years ago that you haven’t kept in touch with? Shame on you! What do you expect them to say when they get a call? ‘He/She was awesome five years ago, but I have no clue what they’re up to now?’ Nuf said.

No Surprises

Kris Dunn, HR Capitalist, warns that in today’s lawsuit-happy world, many references are hard-pressed to go beyond neutral assessments that pretty much don’t move you any further up or down the candidate list: 

It’s been said, many times, many ways - neutral is the new negative when it comes to references. We’re all so worried about getting sued, we won’t tell the truth when someone’s a bad apple.

Take a hint:  if you ask someone to be listed as your reference and they respond with hesitance, or they tell you that company policy won’t allow them to provide a glowing reference, maybe you should look a little further. 

Make It Easy on the Employer

You will appear much more confident when you provide the potential employer up-to-date information on your references:  correct name and title, current phone numbers and business e-mail addresses. 

Remember: they’re your references, not your prospective employer’s investigation witness list.  Make sure they will be reachable and responsive.

Your references can make the difference in getting hired or not. So choose them well — and prep them well, too.

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