Today’s post is one of many from members of the Career Collective community I co-coordinate with my colleague Jacqui Barrett-Poindexter. I encourage you to visit other members’ responses, which will be linked at the end of my post! Please follow our hashtag on Twitter: #careercollective.
This month’s question relates to preparing for success…What should job seekers do now to prepare for interviews? Let’s face it, sometimes a long-time job search winds up in an interview scheduled with little lead time. Be sure to follow the links listed below for answers that may include information regarding:
- References (Whom to ask? Do references even matter, when everyone is busy Googling?)
- Interview preparation/research company
- Wardrobe
- Follow-up
- Negotiating
I believe that the issue of references is one that job seekers overlook. It is important to plan ahead for this part of the search, way before you are actually providing references. Some things to consider…
Do you know what your references are saying about you?
Especially if you have often reached the final stages without landing the job, touching base with those who may hold the keys to your next position is a great idea!
Whom to Ask? Ideally, you should have a current or immediate past employer as a reference. Co-workers and trusted subordinates may also be references, but most hiring managers will want to hear from employers. If you are a student or recently graduated, faculty members may serve as references. If you have had a leadership role in a volunteer organization, “supervisors” from that organization may be good references for you.
Ask permission. Once you have in mind who you’d like to serve, ask their permission. If they seem hesitant or hedge at all, allow them to bow out gracefully. You don’t want to browbeat your references into helping you. (They may hurt more than help.) The best references are those who are enthusiastically supportive.
Prepare your references to support you! Be sure they have the most updated version of your resume and a cover letter for the position if you have one. Let them know if you expect they will be called, and offer suggestions of topics they may want to emphasize.
When I was applying for one of my jobs, I knew that teamwork and the willingness to pitch in when necessary were crucial for my potential employer. I emphasized how I was the perfect match (I really was!) in the interview. I also asked my current supervisor (who knew about my search and was my #1 reference) if she could mention some examples of my teamwork when she spoke to my potential boss, who offered me the job as soon as he spoke to her!
Hopefully, you will have a strong relationship with your references and will be comfortable making them partners in your search. Let’s face it - you can get right to the job’s door by having a great resume and interviewing well. The key to get in is in the hands of those who are willing to recommend you for the job!
Here are the links to responses from other Career Collective members!
- Sit Down and Panic. The Interview is Yours @GayleHoward
- How to Stand Out in a Job Interview @heathermundell
- Avoid These Reference Mistakes @DawnBugni
- Unspoken Secrets of Job Interviewing Prep: How Your Nonverbal Presentation and Behaviors Impact the Impression You Make @KatCareerGal
- Prep for Interviews Now: Snuff out the Elephant in the Room Later! @chandlee
- What Should Job Seekers Do Now to Prepare for an Interview @erinkennedycprw
- Take a Ride in the Elevator Before You Interview @barbarasafani
- Are You Ready for the Elephant in the Room? @WorkWithIllness
- “Tell Me About Yourself” (Oh, Yikes!), @KCCareerCoach
- The job interview as a shared narrative @WalterAkana
- Prepare your references for job search success @Keppie_Careers
- No Pain No Gain In Job Search and Interview Prep @ValueIntoWords
- Job searching? Take a cue from the Boy Scouts @LaurieBerenson
- Preparing for Career Success Starts with Interviewing the Employers @JobHuntOrg
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Miriam, so many people completely forget to prep their references! They may have old phone numbers for them and haven’t talked with them in a while. It’s so easy to take the extra step of getting in touch and preparing them to best support the job seeker. This is great advice. And a great topic for the month!
Heather Mundell´s last blog ..How to Stand Out in a Job Interview
Miriam:
I am so glad you covered references! You’ve shed wonderful insight on how important it is for job seekers to “manage” their references. Job seekers have more control than they know. I think you’ve empowered some!
career sherpa´s last blog ..The Interview: A Well Rehersed Performance or Hacked Improv?
Great points Miriam. I have had many clients share their tales of woe over the last 20 years and the comment element in all of these situations was that they didn’t quiz or coach their references. They just relied on people to “say something nice” about them. In some cases, the telephone numbers were wrong, or people had moved on and the candidate was seen as wasting people’s times. Other times, references completely ran off at the mouth telling tales of fun and hijinks to make a new friend. So eager are they to please that they provide some of the most inappropriate examples of the candidate’s “talents”. Getting in touch with references is crucial before the job search even begins. If the jobseeker can focus the reference by giving some examples “Remember when we worked together on that project? Remember how successful that was? Perhaps you remember when I sorted out that problem….” By suggesting and providing direction to the reference, he or she is more likely to remember your discussion and keep within the parameters than sabotage the job seeking candidacy. Your article touches on all of that. Excellent advice as always!