How To Give Tips to Your Referees

As the saying goes, “First impressions last,” and so do the things that people learn about you. An essential part of your curriculum vitae, therefore, is your list of professional and character references. The companies that you apply to will be doing background checks to see if the information you have provided on your application forms and CV are valid. The important thing to do now is to choose the right people to list down as your referees. While you don’t want to dictate what referees would tell potential employers, it helps to give them tips on how to make a good impression to human resource personnel who might be doing background checks.

Here are a few tips.

1. First, make a list of the people who know you best. You’d want your character references to be those people who know you best and who know you at your best. You wouldn’t want them to call your acquaintances; you’d want them to call your professional contacts. These are people who can give an objective, but mostly positive, view about your character and your competencies. You can also include personal references here, since those will be the ones who would best vouch for your personal competencies, instead of just professional skills.
2. Put your number one referee at top of the list. You may have a colleague or former boss who speaks very well, and who can express him or herself through coherent statements about you in a short period of time. Let’s be honest, companies that do background checks won’t take long. Perhaps they’d be hanging up in five minutes or so. It is important that your referees say what they need to say within that time frame. Your number one referee should be that professional or personal contact who speaks very well and expresses him or herself the best possible way.
3. Give your referee a list of the important information he or she should discuss during the course of the conversation. This is where you sell yourself. You sell yourself not only to the companies you are applying with, but also to your referee. Make your referee actually believe what you are saying. Once he or she has that confidence in you, selling you to the company will also come naturally to him or her. That way, he or she will also be confident in speaking of your qualities and abilities.
4. Have call simulations with your referees. Mock phone calls always give your referees an idea of what questions will be asked during the actual phone call. This way, you’d also have an idea as to how your colleague or friend would fare in an actual interview. This is where you can help give tips on their initial comments, as well as omit or change some that may not be to your liking. Make your referee know it is important that he makes an impression that would encourage the company to hire you.
5. Give your referees a treat for a job well done. Whether you get hired or not, make sure that you show appreciation for what your colleague or friend has done for you. The next time you ever need a referee, you won’t have to look far. You can even return the favor, and be a referee yourself, when the time comes that other people need referrals for their applications.