Most of us were schooled on job references long ago, and we know to pick those that will make the best professional impression on our behalf. Remember that first miserable job you had? The one where you realized you were obviously in the wrong line of work? That job probably didn’t bring about your best efforts or proudest moments. We choose former employers, coworkers and protégés that have, in contrast, witnessed our strongest work ethic and would do well to articulate our skill set.
What you may not have been told, however, is that choosing those references is only half the battle. Once the right individuals are in place, then you have to create a document that strongly links the two of you together. Most job applicants come to the table with the same, dry formatting for all of their representation, and it could be that their intentions regarding references are actually more of a hindrance to their cause than a help. Their resume, cover letter and references all run together because they look so similar.
At Platinum Resumes, we have been struck by this realization and urge our clients to take a different route. We believe that your list of references should stand apart from your resume, thus bringing forth a fresh and creative way to describe your professional connections. This tactic will capture the attention of a hiring manager. In order to do this, you’ll want to approach these connections with pertinent details, and some can speak to different seasons of your career better than others.
In order to make sure that your references are serving you well, make it a priority to creatively display the capacity in which they will vouch for you. By laying out these details in such a way, your references will amp up your game rather than merely keeping you aligned with everyone else. Our aim is to help you to rise above the competition and land the job of your dreams, so give us a call today and let’s discuss how your references dossier will make that happen!
