Preparing Good References
Make it as easy possible for your prospective employer to call the people you want them to talk to. Quite frankly, many people are lazy.
If you give them a number of people and make it easy for them to reach them, the potential employer will probably not dig deeper and eventually find the one person who does not like you.
List eight to ten people including those:
- For whom you have worked,
- Who have worked for you,
- Who are or were your colleagues and peers, and
- From the community who know your work.
Include one or two sentences explaining for each reference explaining who the individual is and what your relationship with them has been.
For example, "Keith Stahley was my assistant village manager while I was the Village Manager of Wellington." That way, the potential employer will knows the context when he/she calls and/or can decide which references she/he wants to call.
- It is a good idea to ask a friend to call your references to find out what they will say about you.
- Even people who like and respect you may not always consider the implications of what they say about their experiences with you.
- Also, people may not have told you about some flaw(s) they perceived in your management style, yet they may well feel comfortable telling the prospective employer.
Sample References