The Resume. The Fundamentals of (References).
Article by S. Jeffery
The previous articles focused on the Personal or Contact Information, Resume Introduction (Objective, Profile and Career Summary), the Education and Work Experiences sections. Today as promised we'll be looking at References. References are wonderful, they point to evidence of your good character and the experience you have in a particular field. They should come from persons who have known you for a number of years and have seen you in action. If there's something you've done that you're not so proud of however be sure that you do not call on someone who would just love the opportunity to dish your dirt.
Who should give you a reference anyway?
Your referees should be persons who know you well, yes. They should also be persons who are above reproach; nice, good law abiding citizens. Individuals that when contacted by your prospective employer, would leave a great impression on you. Below is a list of your friends and associates (family members are usually excluded because their opinion would appear biased) who can be your references:
Ideal References:
1. Your teacher
Were you a good student in high school or college? Then if your teacher agrees with you on this matter (remember I said you need only good said in your favor), you could ask him or her if they would act as a reference for you.
2. Police Officers
They are the upholders of the law and order in any society, so automatically they would be considered as the best examples to provide important, honest information about an event or a person.
3. Lawyers and other officers of the court.
The nuts and bolts that hold the law system together. If you know someone like this you're in luck. Hopefully if you ask they will help you.
4. Former Employers
Sometimes workers may not have gotten along well with a former boss. Do yourself a favor and don't even bother asking them if that was the case, but if you have been lucky to have a good relationship with a former employer be sure to ask them if they would provide a reference for you. Do it as soon as possible.
5. Ministers of Religion (pastors, priests, etc)
Considered the representatives of God, anything said or written by them would be taken seriously.
Ministers still enjoy a pristine image and their testimony of your good character is accepted.
6. Doctors, nurses, other medical practitioners
Holders of persons' lives in their hands, they are the healers; the ones that nurse you back to good health. They are expected to be stable, well-rounded, honest individuals and are good to ask as references, if they are close to you, like a family doctor, etc.
7. Justice of the Peace
A servant of the people, an individual who even as a civil servant is not allowed to ask for payment from the people they serve. They are also officers of the court system, champions of conflict resolution and involved in the domestic affairs of people's lives, everyone knows a J.P. These persons are required to be above reproach, honest, having a good reputation in the communities in which they live. They must know you well to provide a reference letter or be placed as a contact person on your resume. They carry the J.P. seal authorized by the government, so a reference letter from them will work in your favor.
8. Manager
A business manager or executive especially one that is well known in the career circles you're trying to enter makes it easier for you. Usually managers working in an established business are acceptable references.Trust me!
Please note: *There are other persons you could ask but these are the main ones.
Rules for References
1. Please contact persons you wish to act as references on your behalf before you put their names on you resume. Don't call them up and say "Hi, how are you? By the way I added your name as my reference on my resume." Don't do that! It would be best to ask them in person (face to face), so you can gage their response. You need someone who is going to be enthusiastic about sharing the good news about you. If they are uncomfortable about being your reference ask them why. No, don't be aggressive about it and don't beg them either. They could have a valid reason for holding back on this issue, so ask them nicely and listen to what they have to say.
If they have doubts but say "yeah ok" because you nagged them or because you guys are friends don't use them at all. The time will come when an employer may call them and the response they give them may give an impression about you the employer/recruiter may not like. Don't put their name on your resume. I'm telling you!
2. Ask for a letter from each of your references. It may be possible that your reference may be unavailable to do a phone call with the recruiter, they could be off the island for awhile because of an emergency, who knows! Because of the forward thinker you are, you would have a copy of your referee's thoughts already written down, ready for the employer to read. Letters sometimes save the recruiter the trouble of a phone call so consider that.
3. Two to three references are usually required, persons who know you at different stages of your life and can vouch for your capabilities and personality. Start thinking seriously if you chose the right persons for your references.
How to write/type references on your resume:
a. Start off with their names placing title at the beginning, ex. Dr. for doctor; Mr.; Mrs.; Ms.; Rev'd for Reverend; Constable. State their name in full.
b. Below their name state their job title, are they a nurse, pediatrician, general practitioner, Reverend/Pastor, Police officer, etc.
c. State their place of business, where they are employed and the location or an address where they can be contacted.
d. State their phone number landline or cellphone.
What about the modern view that references shouldn't be added to resumes?
This is so for a number of reasons:
1. A person acting as a reference takes a big risk. They have to divulge information about themselves such as where they live or where they work. There is understandably the concern of who is really viewing my information in the name of recruiting people for a job. Scammers are out there and people will be concerned about identity theft. That's why mi seh yuh fi ask them first before yuh put them name pon paper!
2. Other persons may argue: Do we need to use references anyway? The job seeker is required to present their qualifications to the employer, the resume and cover letter will explain who the person is by the content and style of the documents, and of course a job interview can determine if the person is really suitable for the job.
Also, with the blending of psychology in the human resources field, psychoanalytical tests have been developed which determine a person's suitability for a given task/job. There are also competency tests that are done to see if the job seeker really knows a particular software or procedure essential for them to carry out their potential role in the position they seek. They have even developed interview questions to weed out the 'bad apples'.
Bearing all of this in mind what should you do with references nowadays? The best thing I can tell you is to provide them if you're asked for them. Employers still ask for references on resumes and for reference letters.
Therefore make sure you have them available so that if a job ad that you are particularly interested in asks for them, you have no hassle in presenting them. Also people who know you opinions still matter to many employers. Naturally I would say add them in on your resume just to be safe. However if you wish to exclude them and only use them when your asked for it, that's okay too.
Thanks so much for taking the time to read this article. This concludes the discussion on resume fundamentals. Next time I'll be looking at should a resume ideally have one or two pages or even more, and what should you do if your information flows onto two or more pages. It's not as simple as it looks! Follow this blog for this and other interesting articles on business documents. Thanks!
The previous articles focused on the Personal or Contact Information, Resume Introduction (Objective, Profile and Career Summary), the Education and Work Experiences sections. Today as promised we'll be looking at References. References are wonderful, they point to evidence of your good character and the experience you have in a particular field. They should come from persons who have known you for a number of years and have seen you in action. If there's something you've done that you're not so proud of however be sure that you do not call on someone who would just love the opportunity to dish your dirt.
Who should give you a reference anyway?
Your referees should be persons who know you well, yes. They should also be persons who are above reproach; nice, good law abiding citizens. Individuals that when contacted by your prospective employer, would leave a great impression on you. Below is a list of your friends and associates (family members are usually excluded because their opinion would appear biased) who can be your references:
Ideal References:
1. Your teacher
Were you a good student in high school or college? Then if your teacher agrees with you on this matter (remember I said you need only good said in your favor), you could ask him or her if they would act as a reference for you.
2. Police Officers
They are the upholders of the law and order in any society, so automatically they would be considered as the best examples to provide important, honest information about an event or a person.
3. Lawyers and other officers of the court.
The nuts and bolts that hold the law system together. If you know someone like this you're in luck. Hopefully if you ask they will help you.
4. Former Employers
Sometimes workers may not have gotten along well with a former boss. Do yourself a favor and don't even bother asking them if that was the case, but if you have been lucky to have a good relationship with a former employer be sure to ask them if they would provide a reference for you. Do it as soon as possible.
5. Ministers of Religion (pastors, priests, etc)
Considered the representatives of God, anything said or written by them would be taken seriously.
Ministers still enjoy a pristine image and their testimony of your good character is accepted.
6. Doctors, nurses, other medical practitioners
Holders of persons' lives in their hands, they are the healers; the ones that nurse you back to good health. They are expected to be stable, well-rounded, honest individuals and are good to ask as references, if they are close to you, like a family doctor, etc.
7. Justice of the Peace
A servant of the people, an individual who even as a civil servant is not allowed to ask for payment from the people they serve. They are also officers of the court system, champions of conflict resolution and involved in the domestic affairs of people's lives, everyone knows a J.P. These persons are required to be above reproach, honest, having a good reputation in the communities in which they live. They must know you well to provide a reference letter or be placed as a contact person on your resume. They carry the J.P. seal authorized by the government, so a reference letter from them will work in your favor.
8. Manager
A business manager or executive especially one that is well known in the career circles you're trying to enter makes it easier for you. Usually managers working in an established business are acceptable references.Trust me!
Please note: *There are other persons you could ask but these are the main ones.
Rules for References
1. Please contact persons you wish to act as references on your behalf before you put their names on you resume. Don't call them up and say "Hi, how are you? By the way I added your name as my reference on my resume." Don't do that! It would be best to ask them in person (face to face), so you can gage their response. You need someone who is going to be enthusiastic about sharing the good news about you. If they are uncomfortable about being your reference ask them why. No, don't be aggressive about it and don't beg them either. They could have a valid reason for holding back on this issue, so ask them nicely and listen to what they have to say.
If they have doubts but say "yeah ok" because you nagged them or because you guys are friends don't use them at all. The time will come when an employer may call them and the response they give them may give an impression about you the employer/recruiter may not like. Don't put their name on your resume. I'm telling you!
2. Ask for a letter from each of your references. It may be possible that your reference may be unavailable to do a phone call with the recruiter, they could be off the island for awhile because of an emergency, who knows! Because of the forward thinker you are, you would have a copy of your referee's thoughts already written down, ready for the employer to read. Letters sometimes save the recruiter the trouble of a phone call so consider that.
3. Two to three references are usually required, persons who know you at different stages of your life and can vouch for your capabilities and personality. Start thinking seriously if you chose the right persons for your references.
How to write/type references on your resume:
a. Start off with their names placing title at the beginning, ex. Dr. for doctor; Mr.; Mrs.; Ms.; Rev'd for Reverend; Constable. State their name in full.
b. Below their name state their job title, are they a nurse, pediatrician, general practitioner, Reverend/Pastor, Police officer, etc.
c. State their place of business, where they are employed and the location or an address where they can be contacted.
d. State their phone number landline or cellphone.
What about the modern view that references shouldn't be added to resumes?
This is so for a number of reasons:
1. A person acting as a reference takes a big risk. They have to divulge information about themselves such as where they live or where they work. There is understandably the concern of who is really viewing my information in the name of recruiting people for a job. Scammers are out there and people will be concerned about identity theft. That's why mi seh yuh fi ask them first before yuh put them name pon paper!
2. Other persons may argue: Do we need to use references anyway? The job seeker is required to present their qualifications to the employer, the resume and cover letter will explain who the person is by the content and style of the documents, and of course a job interview can determine if the person is really suitable for the job.
Also, with the blending of psychology in the human resources field, psychoanalytical tests have been developed which determine a person's suitability for a given task/job. There are also competency tests that are done to see if the job seeker really knows a particular software or procedure essential for them to carry out their potential role in the position they seek. They have even developed interview questions to weed out the 'bad apples'.
Bearing all of this in mind what should you do with references nowadays? The best thing I can tell you is to provide them if you're asked for them. Employers still ask for references on resumes and for reference letters.
Therefore make sure you have them available so that if a job ad that you are particularly interested in asks for them, you have no hassle in presenting them. Also people who know you opinions still matter to many employers. Naturally I would say add them in on your resume just to be safe. However if you wish to exclude them and only use them when your asked for it, that's okay too.
Thanks so much for taking the time to read this article. This concludes the discussion on resume fundamentals. Next time I'll be looking at should a resume ideally have one or two pages or even more, and what should you do if your information flows onto two or more pages. It's not as simple as it looks! Follow this blog for this and other interesting articles on business documents. Thanks!
Updated March 20, 2020.
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