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Tom: I sure did and I really appreciated it.

You: My pleasure. I wasn’t sure if you subscribed to that journal. Anyway, I have another reason for calling. I’ll only keep you a minute. I’ve decided to move on. The reorganization here has led to limited potential for advancement, so I’ve decided to look for a director position.

Tom: How can I help?

You: Since we worked together in the past, I’d be honored if you’d provide a professional reference. Your reputation in the industry should help verify my credentials. Will you assist me?

Tom: I’ll do my best.

You (Briefly mention the objective of your search and the businesses you’re targeting. Then finish with): I’ll be sending you a couple of items that’ll help refresh your memory of our work together, and I’ll call you back once you’ve had a chance to scan them.

Tom: Good talking to you!

Preparing Professional References

Your phone calls should get you the top four to six colleagues from your past or present. Now, you’re going to talk with them (if they’re geographically distant), give them their scripts, and coach them into an award-winning performance.

Why bother? Because most of the time your references are anything but professional! They’ve been caught off guard or may not remember the highlights you’d like them to recall.

You need to give (or send) four items to each of them:

1. A sample completed application (You can either request one from any employer or buy a form from a stationery store.)

2. Your rest-you-may (Do 5)

3. Your reference summary (an example follows)

4. The professional reference questions

The Reference Summary

A reference summary is a brief, neatly typed one-page summary, using short headings, that reviews the facts that your reference will verify. Concentrate on traits, skills, and accomplishments that apply to the target job.

Be honest, but not modest. Few references will overstate your attributes; most will understate. So give them every word you want them to say, and they may actually develop some good words of their own. It’s all in the preparation and careful prompting.

Name: Karen A. Condito

Phone: 555-555-5555

Fax: 555-555-5555

Email: karenacondito@gotmail.com

Former Title: National Sales Manager

Attributes:

• Effectiveness

• Goal orientation

• Motivational skills

• Reliablity

• Enthusiasm

Job-Related Skills:

• Supervised and motivated a field sales force that grew from 12 people to 20 during three-year tenure. Managed and led in-house support staff of six.

• Accomplished sales objectives by product, resulting in an average annual increase in sales of 30 percent, with an overall three-year cumulative increase of 120 percent.

• Installed computerized sales reporting system.

• Used customer feedback to help create five new products, which are consistently among the top sellers produced by the company.

• Established a sales incentive program that increased sales across the board, and more than doubled them in the two lowest performing territories.

Professional Reference Questions

The final item to give each professional reference is two versions of a list of questions they are likely to be asked in a phone call. The first will have suggested answers completed by you to help them remember.

Perhaps they never knew you that well when you worked together or the specifics of your job responsibilities. Then give each of your references a copy of a blank list, so they can use the completed one to fill in the blanks in their own words.

Professional Reference Questionnaire

How long have you known _____________________________________________?

How do you know ___________________________________________________?

When was he/she hired ________________________________________________?

When did he/she leave _________________________________________________?

What was his/her salary when he/she left ___________________________________?

Did you work with him/her directly ________________________________________?

Was he/she absent from work