8 Great Tips for Providing Professional References

One of the many tasks when applying for a new position includes providing professional references. It is necessary to understand what is being asked of you before writing down random friends or family members on a piece of paper. Here at Riverway we ask that you provide us with at least 3 Professional References. This means friends/family will not suffice as acceptable contacts. A Professional Reference must be able to attest to your work performance. References can be the deciding factor on whether or not you get the job you are so excited about! Take into consideration the following tips when providing us or any prospective employer with references. They can make or break you!! 

• Keep in touch with anyone you think would be open to providing a reference for you - make sure they remember you! 

• Ask in advance if it's okay for you to put them down as a reference; not after you’ve already listed them. By the time you've already submitted employment/professional references in with your job application, we may have already contacted them and gotten a response like, “Who?” or “I’m sorry I don’t remember them.” If this happens, it makes it look like you didn’t take the time to provide us with up to date references. 

• Provide working phone numbers; call the numbers yourself ahead of time to ensure they are still in service. 

• Do not provide friends or family as professional references (unless, of course, you happened to work at a family business). 

• List references than can attest to your work performance, i.e. attendance, job responsibilities and overall performance. 

• DO NOT list references that you do not want us to contact. 

• Provide complete and up to date information - full name, job title, company, phone number, email address if you have one, and include extensions if needed. 

• If you are listing a former supervisor or coworker and including the company's main phone number to get in touch with them, ensure that they are still working at the location you are providing us with.
  

Follow these 8 tips and you will have no problem getting great references that will lead you to success!