Professional References: All You Should Know

Filed in Blogs by Ogochukwu Cynthia on December 10, 2022

Professional References may offer documents that serve as evidence of employment history, accomplishments, and credentials.

What Are Professional References

Professional references are endorsements from people who can attest to your suitability for the position and moral integrity.

Professional references can make or break any job opportunity, and they frequently come after a potential employer has reviewed your résumé and/or conducted an interview with you.

Identifying who you should specifically seek for a reference from and how to do so is the first step when it comes to professional recommendations.

Difference Between Professional and Personal Reference

Companies frequently indicate on applications whether they desire personal or professional references.

Wherever possible, you should share your professional preferences if they don’t specify which one they prefer then you can go ahead and provide professional reference.

Professional Reference

When a potential employer requests professional references, they are looking for an endorsement from someone who has worked with you closely and can speak to your performance on the job,

especially in regards to qualities like timeliness and diligence.

Personal or character references, which are far more familiar, are different from professional references. The professional reference is more focused on the candidate’s employability and professional attributes than on their personality or character features.

Personal recommendations may be useful occasionally, but resist the urge to provide one when the job posting or interviewer clearly requests a professional reference.

Personal Reference

A personal reference, on the other hand, is more of a character reference. These people can testify to who you are as a person, including your

general characteristics, abilities, strengths, and weaknesses. These qualities could possibly be business related, your best friend, religious leader, next-door neighbor, scoutmaster, or social media friends are all potential personal references.

How to Ask For a Professional Reference

Anybody you ask to serve as a professional reference must be approached as professionally as you can. Follow these guidelines whether you ask in person, on the phone, or remotely. To properly request references, follow these steps:

Choose Carefully Who to Ask

Make sure the person serving as your reference will speak highly of you and your qualifications.

Even if that person is your sole “actual” manager, you might be better off asking someone else if you had a tense relationship with your old boss.

It’s best to move on to someone else if you’re not certain that person will offer you a positive reference.

Meet Them in Person

Once you’ve decided who you want to represent you, think about scheduling a formal meeting with that person.

To arrange a face-to-face meeting and let them know you’d like their assistance with your application process, write them an email or give them a call.

If a face-to-face meeting is not feasible, consider a phone conversation or video chat as an alternative.

Give them Proper Details About The Job

To be prepared for the recruiting manager’s phone call or email, provide your reference with as much information as you can.

Your reference will be more aware of the skills, qualities, and experience they should emphasize if you describe the position for which you are seeking.

Give Them a Break

Some persons refuse to provide professional references for anyone under any circumstances. The time may not be available to others. Give your prospective employer a way out, whatever the reason.

For instance, you could write, “Please don’t feel obligated to serve as a professional reference for me. If you can’t, I entirely understand. This makes it simpler for the individual to decline if necessary.

Who to Ask for a Professional Refrences

Your ability to secure the job can be strongly influenced by your professional recommendations.

A positive reference can eliminate you from the list of new hires, while a strong recommendation from the ideal reference can persuade the potential employer that you are the right candidate for the position.

The following are some factors to take into account while selecting the finest references for a job:

Request from a previous employer: The ideal reference for a new job would be your close former manager or boss. Based on your accomplishments and relationships with other team members, they may endorse your work. However, it is advised to identify supervisors or managers with whom you got along and who you’re prepared to get in touch with whenever necessary. Since it could jeopardize their present employment if they are unsuccessful in landing the new job, some candidates might be cautious to mention their existing supervisors as references. In that instance, choose a former employer.
Request from a colleague: In addition to asking your previous employers, you should also ask your coworkers and associates with whom you have shared departments or functions to vouch for your suitability for the position. To know the kinds of skills and abilities you possess and that are necessary for the new job you are applying for, your coworkers must have observed you performing your regular duties at work.
Ask Someone that can vouch for you positively: The last thing you want when selecting the professional references to speak on your behalf is to receive a bad reference and wind up losing the job chance. You can get a professional reference from Guidance, tutors or counselors, Advisors, Mentors, Course teachers and professors. Before sending their names and contact information to the potential employer, ask the references to draft a brief recommendation letter in advance.

Now It’s Your Turn

When it comes to professional references , they are quite highly important to job applications, let us know if this material was helpful in learning about professional reference.