The Art Of The Ask: What Graduates Need To Know About Requesting Recommendations
Posts by Alan TaylorMay 10, 2023
If you’re entering the workforce for the first time or breaking into a new field, the job market can be a scary place. But you don’t have to go it alone.
Often, your professional network can give you the boost you need. All you have to do is ask.
We’re here to sum up everything you need to know about job references and recommendations – who to ask for references and recommendations and how to ask them before adding them to your LinkedIn profile or resume references section.
Why You Need References And Recommendations
In many cases, your hiring manager has never met you before. Your resume is your first introduction.
Should the hiring manager take everything you say about yourself at face value? Can they get the full picture of your work habits by speaking to you in one interview?
That is what references are for. They are people who have worked with you or overseen your work in the past.
You should keep an up-to-date list of five or more potential references, along with their contact information. In this way, you will have references readily available when asked for them.
Your references can offer recommendations – either verbal or in a reference letter/letter of recommendation.
They can tell your hiring manager about your personality, how well you get along with others, and your work ethic, and they can endorse your skills and abilities.
Such recommendation letters can give you an edge in a competitive job market.
Who Make Good References?
The best references know you reasonably well and worked with you for a span of time. They should be people whom you are on good terms with.
Additionally, references should usually be in positions of authority. The opinion of your coworker, a peer, does not hold as much weight as that of your former boss or manager.
If you’ve recently graduated, think about professors with whom you worked closely. Focus on those related to your major, perhaps those with whom you had multiple classes or conducted research.
Sports coaches, volunteer work overseers, and anyone in a mentor position also makes for a good reference.
Do I Have To Ask?
Keeping a list of references should be easy, right? All you have to do is look up their information and write it down.
Not quite. Sending a quick note to your potential references, letting them know that you are searching for a job and would appreciate using them as a reference, is the polite and professional thing to do.
This also allows you to confirm that their contact information is accurate. Having your hiring manager call the wrong number will not reflect well on you.
Additionally, you can ask your reference for a letter of recommendation. Don’t wait until you’re ready to hit “send” on a job application to do so.
You can ask for reference letters when your time together is coming to an end – when you are nearing graduation or leaving the company, for example.
This respects their time—they can work it into their schedule rather than responding to immediate demands—and your time with them is still fresh in mind.
If possible, make your request in person first, and follow it up with a formal email request. If geographic constraints prohibit this, jump straight to the letter.
Be sure to let them know what you are applying for and when you need the letter. If asking them to send it by mail, as some jobs require, provide them with a pre-addressed and stamped envelope.
You can make their job easy by providing a “brag sheet” – copies of your resume and academic transcripts, highlighting your qualifications. Tailor this to your reference, for example, noting the exact classes you had with a given professor.
Then, you can hang onto these reference letters until they are needed. And don’t forget to say thank you.
You can also ask for more tailored reference letters if your reference has a connection to a specific company or field to which you are applying.
Key Takeaways
It is important for job seekers to maintain an up-to-date collection of references for when they are needed.
Additionally, keep a file of reference letters from former managers, professors, coaches, mentors, or other direct reports.
Remember that you need to invest a bit in these relationships, or ask if they would be willing to be a referee soon after you have worked/studied with them, so their memory of you is fresh.
And of course, remember your manners – always use a polite tone, never rush them, and always say thank you.
With these tips, you should be strengthening your job applications in no time!