Why Professional References are Important in your Berkshire County Job Search

“To continue this application process, we will need to call three professional references. Can you please send their contact information my way?”
 
Candidates will hear this question often as these references are vital to an employer when finding the right person for the job. Below is listed who these references are to a candidate, what they can speak to, and how these people can help the candidate in the job search process.

Who These References are –

By professional references, we mean that we need people who can speak to your work skills, ethic, attendance, manner, etc. These references are people that a candidate has worked with – it is always nice to have a variety of titles we are calling such as a direct supervisor, a colleague or a subordinate. Getting these different perspectives can help paint a whole picture on a candidate from an employer standpoint. When sending references to an organization, you will want to have the names, title, place of work, and phone number listed. If emails are available, they help as well!

What They Can Speak To –

Professional references can speak to multiple facets of an employee. A subordinate will mention the leadership skills, the management style, and how comfortable they are to talk to and work for. The candidate’s direct supervisor witnessed the candidate’s ability to take direction, ability to take initiative, their rehire status, etc. A colleague is someone who has worked directly with a candidate and saw how they work, how they handle problems, how they act day to day, and more. These are the closest people to the candidate and who know them the most in the work setting.

How They Can Help –

Coming from recruiters, who do not know the candidate as well as their current/former coworkers, a great reference is the final step for us to make my decision about a candidate. Yes, we conduct multiple  interviews and meetings with a candidate, but speaking to these references help round out the whole picture of a candidate and if they fit the role they are going for. Depending on what is said (hopefully great things only), it will push a decision for us to present a candidate to an organization for a potential interview. It also helps sell a candidate even more with those extra notes from references.

Staffing is tough and holds a lot of pressure. If we can speak to references that will speak positively on a candidate and answer our questions and confirm how we feel about a candidate, it is a no brainer that we want to move forward. Always list references who will say great things, and always ask the references if you can use them. These references are your network, use them when you can!