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Ask the Employment Specialist: Tips for Collecting and Presenting References

Dear employment specialist2

Dear Joanna

I am an internationally trained architect who is new to Canada and am so upset, because I do not have any local references, and I don’t know the best way to present my references.

I have finished an interview today for a position as an AutoCAD technician and the employer has asked me to submit 3 references. I learned from my Job Developer that this is a good sign; but I don’t know what to do as my references are all from my professional places of work overseas!

What do you advise me to do? The employer is waiting and I don’t want to lose this opportunity!

Signed: Upset Without References (UWR)

Dear UWR,

Congratulations on passing the job interview! You know you have successfully passed the interview stage when the employer asks for references.

Thank you for asking this question. References are a difficult challenge for job searchers, regardless of whether they are Canadian.  After checking out with my fellow frontline practitioners, and based on what I’ve learned from various employers who come to JVS Toronto to speak to our clients, I have the following suggestions for you:

1. With today’s access to the Internet, it is much easier and acceptable for you to use references from your former places of employment from your home country. Many employers have told me that they are willing to check references all over the world, using emails as the main form of communication.

2. Always double-check with the references that they are still available, and willing to provide you with a reference.

3. The Reference List should be neatly typed on a regular white sheet of paper. It should have the full name, job title, company name, address, email address and telephone number of each of your references.

4. Keep in mind that the information on your Reference List is private, so DO NOT provide the list to potential employers until they have met with you in person and you are sure that you want them to contact the references.

5. Always bring the Reference List to the interview, to present to the employer. But, make sure you provide the list only if the interviewer asks for it!

6. After giving the Reference List to the potential employer, always make sure that you inform your references that you have given their name. Give them a “heads up” that they might be contacted — tell them about the nature of the job opportunity and the name of the employee who will be checking you out. If you can prepare them in advance, even better, as opposed to waiting until the last minute.

7. Always keep in touch with your references, even when you don’t have a job interview. Once again, networking is the key and you should keep doing it, even if you are working. You never know when you need the references. Sometimes, they may leave the company where you worked, so you should constantly keep in touch. Using LinkedIn is a great solution; other social media tools such as Facebook are effective, too.

8. Treat your references like gold; stay in touch, get them gifts, send them holiday cards and show appreciation and gratitude.

9. Speak to your references to discuss how they might answer the more challenging questions interviewers might ask, such as discussing your weaknesses or giving the reasons for your departure from that job.  Although this is difficult, try to ensure that they will say only positive things about you.

10. Ask your references to contact you after they have been called by the potential employer, to provide you with feedback. Whether or not the employer called the reference and what was discussed will give you a good clue about whether they are seriously considering you for employment.

Once again, congratulations on being so close to the job offer…but remember, it’s not over yet; you still need to be checked out through your references and only when you have a hot job offer in writing (preferably) in your hands, is there a time for celebration!

Lots of luck in this stage of the game.

Regards,

Joanna

To submit your questions for this column IN CONFIDENCE, please email klewis@jvstoronto.org.

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Grab the Attention of Employers: Five Steps to Develop a Personal Branding Strategy

business man holding a megaphoneIn this overcrowded job market, it’s difficult to stand out and be noticed by employers. We know that for each job advertised, the vast majority who apply will not make it to the interview. There’s not a lot of consistent data about this, but an expert in the field claims in a Workopolis article that the “Top 2%” of candidates make it to the interview”.

The Workopolis article suggests that to be seriously considered for a position, job seekers could try various strategies such as selectively applying for the most suitable jobs, preparing a resume that highlights how they could “stand out on the job”, and targeting applications to a each posting (i.e. not using generic resumes and cover letters).

Explaining how you can “stand out on the job” is probably the most difficult task facing candidates. Developing a strategy to achieve this goal is described by job search experts as “personal branding.”

What is personal branding?

Personal branding represents the actions taken by job seekers to stand out and be noticed. It is the process of identifying your most important employment assets, and developing and implementing a strategy of communicating this information to employers.

Why brand yourself?

The goal of personal branding is to stand out in a crowd. It’s commonly known as a strategy used by corporations to attract customers and investors, but is just as useful for job seekers to be noticed by employers.

As a candidate, you have a unique set of skills and assets to offer employers. It is up to you to ensure that they notice you and respond to your candidacy.

How do you brand yourself?

1. Identify your job target.

Make sure that you are 100 percent clear about the jobs to which you intend to apply: know the job title(s), industry and type of company. This will help you determine which of your skills and background are the most important to focus on when describing yourself

2. Understand the needs of the employer.

Clarify the most important skills and assets needed by employers for your target job:

  • Scan relevant job postings online and develop a list of all the qualifications listed by employers
  • Network with potential employers or with successful employees in your field and ask them for insight into the most valuable assets for the job.

3. Figure out your most important assets.

Identify your unique strengths as a candidate, which may include:

  • “Soft” or Transferable skills: your “I am” (personal) abilities (e.g. organizational, interpersonal, teamwork)
  • Hard skills: your “I can” skills which you have learnt (e.g. software, languages, specific professional knowledge)
  • Experience/background: your “I have” assets (e.g. education, certification, particular work, relevant personal or volunteer experience, specific number of years in a field, been promoted, been awarded/recognized, dealt with certain people — such as difficult customers)
  • Objective: your “I would like to” statement (e.g. “my goal is to work in a company/job where I can…”)

A candidate cannot just be “good enough” for a job. You need to figure out which of your strengths are unique and which provide you with an advantage over the many other candidates vying for the position. Perhaps your biggest asset is your flexibility and willingness to start at the bottom of the ladder? Maybe you have solid experience and specific product knowledge that many do not?

4. Develop a branding statement.

Based on what you have learned from job postings, develop a clear, honest and compelling statement, which you can use to describe yourself in simple terms. Keep in mind that if you have multiple goals, you might need to develop a few different versions of your branding statement, which focus on various combinations of your assets.

Write out your statement, learn to say it with ease and confidence. Be ready to talk about it and to explain it further, if asked. You might need to share examples from your work history to demonstrate your claims about yourself; have those ready.

5. Spread the word!

Take every opportunity you can to include your branding statement (or a version of it) in your communication with employers:

Approach your branding strategy in a proactive and deliberate way. The more planful and detailed your strategy, the better you will be at making sure that you are the tree that stands out in the overwhelming forest of candidates vying for that perfect job.

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Resume Writing Basics – Step 5: Completing Your Resume

Finsih LineThis is the final post in my ongoing Resume Writing Basics series, which included the following:

  1. an overview of the basics of resume writing, including an outline of the information to be included in a resume
  2. a detailed description of the formatting needed to create an easy-to-read resume
  3. tips for writing a Profile Summary that catches employers’ attention
  4. a guide for outlining an impressive Employment History

All that remains is to list your education and training, and volunteer experience, if relevant. Most resumes also end off with a mention of references.

List your education and training

Most employers are impressed by the candidate’s education, regardless of whether it is directly related to the job, so it is always worthwhile to include your highest education, as well as any other degrees of certifications. The best format: the degree, the school and its location (e.g. Bachelor of Art, Ryerson University, Toronto).

It is generally not necessary to include dates, as these just give the employer too much information about your approximate age. However, if you just recently graduated and you want to explain the employer what you have been doing in the last few years, add dates and consider bringing the section up higher up in the resume, above the Employment History.

In addition to all your degrees, it may be useful to list any relevant courses or certification you might have obtained. This might include any on-the-job training, as well. List only courses that are relevant to your work.

Don’t leave off volunteer work

Employers tend to be impressed by involvement in community activities, so it’s well worth including it in the resume.

You can add it, using the same format recommended for Employment History under a separate heading, or you may include the volunteer jobs in your employment history. If you add your volunteer roles to your jobs, make sure to clearly indicate the volunteer jobs clearly as such.

Mention (but don’t include) your references

It is generally recommended that candidates do not include references in or with their resume. So, by way of reassuring the employer that you do have references and will share them when the right time comes (i.e. at the interview), you can add a line at the end that states something to the that “References are Available Upon Request” (One of my clients even cheekily stated that “Enthusiastic References are Available Upon Request”).

Final note..

For resume samples, there are some good online resources such as The Balance’s Sample Resumes, Monster.ca and WorkBloom. Keep in mind though, that resumes differ by industry, country and sector. This means that job seekers should thoroughly research the best resume formats by consulting with employers and employees who work in their target jobs, before finalizing the resume.

JVS Toronto Head Office

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Toronto, ON
M6B 1V9

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