Who’re your job references?

Job seekers are often faced with a dilemma when they write their resumes. Should they or shouldn’t they list their references in their resumes? I’ve been asked this so many times in my talks around the campuses in Malaysia.

There are two schools of thought. One says that it is quite all right to name the references. The other says no, leave this part out completely.

There is no right or wrong answer. It all depends on your preference but given a choice, I will leave them out. At most, I’ll just write “Available upon request” in my resume.

Don’t think that naming your references in the resume will impress the hiring manager, even if the references are influential people in the industry. An experienced hiring manager worth his salt will not be so easily swayed but will short-list a candidate according to his skills and qualifications.

It’s after the candidate has gone through a round or two of interviews in a company and stands a strong chance of being hired that the hiring manager will normally ask for the references. Then you give.

The big corporations will use the information for a reference check on you. They’ll be phoning the people you named, so you must make it a point to let your references know in advance.

But first, before all this, make sure that you have already asked permission from your references. It’s important and it’s only courtesy if you want someone to help you.

And second, always keep in contact with your references every now and then. Phone and say “hello” to them once in a while. If not for anything else, it is to keep your professional relationship or friendship going.

Lastly, you’ll have to prepare your references if you have applied to specific jobs recently. Tell them that the companies may call them. Don’t ever let your references be caught off-guard when a telephone call comes through to them.

Now, who should be your references? Normally, you’ll be required to give two.

The first should know you in a professional capacity such as your immediate supervisor in your previous employment. Obviously, you can’t name a supervisor in your current employment. It will be a very strange situation that your current employer will want to put in a good word for you.

Your second reference can also be one that knows you professionally or he can be someone who has known you well for quite a while and can vouch for you.

Fresh graduates or people seeking their first jobs are often faced with a problem finding suitable references because they have not been exposed to working life.

Hiring managers know this and they may not actually ask for any from you. But if they do, try naming someone that’s close to your family who may know you well enough, such as your parent’s close friend. However, if this is not possible, just be frank and tell the hiring manager that you do not have any.

One bad choice that many fresh graduates make is to name their lecturers as their references. Common … with hundreds or thousands of students graduating every year, do you really expect your lecturer to know each and every one of you except superficially?

I’ve known cases where the hiring manager purposely asked the lecturer to verify some wrong facts about a job seeker and the lecturer really affirmed them. That showed how much the lecturer was in tune with his students.
So, please avoid naming your lecturer. And a final point to note: if you are already working for some years and have progressed through a few jobs, and you still have a lecturer from your past named as a reference in your resume, it will do you well to spend some time to update your whole resume. Don’t you think you owe it to yourself?

About the writer
Quah Seng-Sun is Malaysia’s only Certified Professional Resume Writer and a member of the Professional Association of Resume Writers and Career Coaches (PARW/CC) which is based in the United States. His opinions do not necessarily reflect that of JobStreet.com