Professional and Personal References - Resume Writing Tips by Regina Pontow

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Reference Sheets - Personal and Professional References

Don't Supply References On Your Resume
In today’s job market it’s standard not to include references on your resume. It’s much better to use that space for important skills, experience and education. Therefore, you should create a separate sheet that lists your references. Typically, employers request three professional and three personal references.

Professional References
When listing professional references include your reference’s name, job title, company, address, phone number and if acceptable to your reference, an e-mail address. Including a reference’s job title can help promote your image if the person’s title or position is similar to the job you want or industry you are pursuing. In this instance, employers will be interested in feedback about you from someone in a related field or who was in a position of responsibility that can judge your work experience, professionalism and reliability.

For example, if you are looking for an accounting position and you provide three professional references--from a Certified Public Accountant, CEO and an Accounting Supervisor--this promotes you as having excellent professional contacts within the field of accounting. You may also want to specify in what capacity the reference knows you--such as being an employer, supervisor, co-worker or business associate. This helps employers understand what your relationship was to the reference.

Personal References
When listing personal references include your reference’s name, job title if helpful to your image, address (ask references if they wish you to use their business or personal address) and phone number. If the personal reference is a co-worker it can be beneficial to point this out.

Ask Permission to Use References
Prior to providing a reference list, ask each of your references for permission to use them as a reference. It’s also to your benefit to let them know the types of positions you will be applying for and what skills are needed in those positions. Then ask them to discuss what they believe to be your best talents, traits or skills when speaking with prospective employers that contact them.

Verify What References Will Say About You
Frequently, people will ask someone to be a reference and the person says, "Sure." Yet, they end up providing poor references. If you ask someone to be a reference also ask them what they would say about your work habits and your reliability when they speak with a potential employer. If your reference is a former employer, ask that employer if your job performance was such that he would rehire you. Employers often ask this question when checking references.

If you suspect that any reference may give a ho-hum recommendation or provide negative feedback about you, remove them from your reference list. Even though most employers assume that the references you provide will be positive, that is oftentimes not the case. So check what your references will say about you before using them.

$9,000 Salary Increase
The first resume workshop in this site shows how Fran's after resume resulted in a $9,000 salary increase. Fran wanted a $33,000 Corporate Customer Representative job but her resume created an image of her being at a $20,000 to 24,000 salary level -- that's $9,000 to $13,000 beneath her goal.

What Level Does Your Resume Market You At?
If you are curious to see what level your resume is marketing you at � then be sure to read and use the graphing techniques in my first workshop. By graphing the job titles used in Fran's resume it's easy to see why her resume failed � and once you understand this � you will understand why the majority of resumes fail. You'll then understand how to analyze your job titles and see if you are better off using them or replacing them with skill headings that market you more effectively.

Most People Have Job Titles that Weaken Their Image
I estimate that at least 85% of all job seekers have job titles unrelated to their current career goals � and that they are much better off using skill headings rather than job titles to land higher salaries and double and triple their interview rates.

For example, Fran had been a Directory Operator but in most people's minds that doesn't sound like she's at the level of a Corporate Customer Representative making $33,000 � that's because most people don't view directory operators as providing true customer service. Most people say that Directory Operator sounds like someone making only $20,000. However, by using the 12 Questions in my Proven Resumes Series, Fran wrote a new description of her duties as a Directory Operator that described her being selected out of 100 Directory Operators to provide specialized Customer Service to the Governor's Office and Political Dignitaries in the Washington State Capitol � now that information begins to change our image of Fran doesn't it? That makes her sound much more like someone being able to command $33,000.

Which sounds like a better match for the $33,000 Corporate Customer Service Representative goal� her old job title of Directory Operator � or a skill heading like Customer Service Representative to State of Washington Account. In Fran's actual resume we used the heading of Customer Service Representative but you can see how you can play with skill headings to control and elevate your image � this is one strategy I explain in detail with examples throughout my book, Proven Resumes: Strategies That Have Increased Salaries, and one of the strongest things I can offer you as a resume writer � just in case you don't have the time or patience to write your own.

Going from 0% to 100% Interview Rate
By using skill headings that matched her goal, Fran went from a 0% interview rate to a 100% interview rate -- meaning none of her prior resumes had landed an interview but her new resume landed an interview for each position she applied for.

Click here to learn other ways we improved Fran's resume and landed her a job paying $9,000 more click here to read my first set of resume workshops! If you've entered my site via this page, be sure to go to my home page for an overview of more than 60 Free Resume & Job Search Workshops that include tons of Resume Tips for 45 Career Fields, Job Search, Electronic Resume, Cover Letter, Interviewing, Networking and Confidence Building strategies.

The testimonials at the top of this page and throughout my site describe salary increases ranging from $10,000 to $30,000 and more. Here's one of my most recent ones:

Regina, the resume you wrote caught the attention of the world's leading software manufacturer. Thanks for helping inspire me through your thoughtful questions and objective interpretation of my work history.

I'm sure it made a big difference in my ability to be recognized in a competitive environment and cross the $100,000 threshold. By the way, the offer I accepted was an increase of $25K annually (21% increase).

Rachel Pizarro, Senior Sales Account Executive / Operations Manager

Reference Sheet Design
When creating your reference sheet, use design elements like those you used to create your resume. If you centered your name, address and phone number at the top of your resume with a graphic line underneath that block of information - then use this same layout and design for your reference sheet. For illustration, see the Reference Sheet Example below. To create a professional image, print your resume, cover letter and reference sheet on matching paper.

Reference Sheet Example:

REGINA PONTOW
PO Box 52901
Bellevue, WA 98015-2901
(555) 555-5555
e-mail: r.pontow@provenresumes.com

PROFESSIONAL REFERENCES
___________________________________________________________

Past Supervisor: Kathleen Southeby, Director of Career Services
University of Washington, Bothell
2345 Canyon Park Boulevard
Bothell, WA 98281
(555) 555-5555

Corporate Clients: Dan Williams, Director of Human Resources
United Parcel Service
2334 Post Road
Seattle, WA 98121
(555) 555-5555

Cynthia Cooper, Branch Manager
King County METRO Divisions
2345 32nd Avenue NE
Kirkland, WA 98034
(555) 555-5555

PERSONAL REFERENCES:
___________________________________________________________

Co-Worker: Angela Smith, Workforce Training Coordinator
Everett Community College
15 South Circle Drive
Everett, WA 98128
(555) 555-5555

Business Associate: Frank Denla, Director of Training
Career Professionals Speaker’s Bureau
PO Box 234
Seattle, WA 98142
(555) 555-5555

Personal Friend: Darla Smith, President
Executive Outplacement Systems
2343 Bellevue Way
Bellevue, WA 98123
(555) 555-555

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resume writing tips - 60 free resume, cover letter, electronic resume and job search workshops