How To Serve as a Professional Reference

Professional references are part and parcel of career advancement. We all have references who come to our aid during a job search, stepping up to provide context and confidence about you to would-be employers.

There are accepted best practices for cultivating a reference list. Fewer guidelines exist for serving as a reference for others. Yet it’s something we all should do as part of our professional activities. It’s our chance to give back, and pay it forward, to our professional network.

Here are our recommendations to be not only a helpful recommender but a highly effective one as well.

Ground Rules

Ideally, a colleague will reach out to you about serving as a reference well before they are named a finalist in a search. Assuming this is the case, consider the following:

Do you have the time? Serving as a reference isn’t inordinately time-consuming, but you want to be available and at your best to do so. Ask yourself: Do I have the time and mental energy to give? If your life is currently chaotic or uncertain, don’t commit to being a reference. Be honest. If you can’t — in good conscience — provide a strong reference for a colleague, let them know: “I can’t provide the type of reference you’re looking for . . . “; or, “It’s been too long since we worked together.” You don’t need to give details, although you might be doing the other person a favor if you do: “I won’t be able to give you a strong reference because . . . ” Only you can determine if it’s best to provide details and “be cruel to be kind.” Understand their goals. To be a good reference for someone, have a good sense of what they seek in an employer and next career steps. Ask them to provide a paragraph or two of their goals and types of roles they’re applying for. Understand what they expect of you. Ask “What would you like me to share about you?” so you can gain a sense of how you can best support their candidacy. Set parameters. There is an unwritten contract between you and your colleague: that they let you know if they are starting a job search and you may be needed; that they will provide employers with your correct contact details and availability; that you’ll let them know if you have a conflict of interest or change in your ability to serve as a reference for them. Outline these and other expectations: The period of time in your relationship you can discuss (e.g., when you served as their direct supervisor); That you will be positive but honest with employers about their strengths as well as areas needing some development; That you will let them know if anything came from a reference call that would change their perception of the employer (e.g., inappropriate questions were asked). Clarify how you’ll serve. Serving as a reference can take on many forms: an involved phone or Zoom call with the hiring manager or search consultant, a more general conversation with an HR representative, or simply filling out a form or survey about the candidate’s capabilities. Specify your expectations: “I’m happy to speak on your behalf but prefer not to fill out a survey.”

During a Job Search

Once one of your “referees” begins a job search, commit to being “on call.” Increasingly, employers are requesting a candidate’s reference list up front, so understand that your name may be submitted with application materials.

Gather info about the job and potential employer. You need context for serving as their reference. Get up to date. Make sure you have the candidate’s current resume. Ask if anything has changed in their life or capabilities that would alter your comments to an employer. Ask what kind of input you’ll provide. (See item #6 above.) Will you be speaking with a human, filling out a form, or a little of both? Does the person you speak with have hiring authority or are they simply taking notes and summarizing your conversation for the candidate’s portfolio? Adapt your responses accordingly. Outline appropriate areas on which to comment. Their role in major achievements for their unit or their organization How they show up to work every day How they communicate How their colleagues respond to them; how their reports and teams perform How they lead Areas of need or development (everyone is still working on something) Know where not to go. Don’t comment on: The candidate’s strengths or weaknesses about which you’re not fully informed Unverified rumors about them Aspects of their personal life Assumptions about how they’ll perform in a specific role at a new employer. You may be asked, “How do you think Candidate A would do in this role?” Offer generalizations but don’t speak at length unless you truly understand the employing organization and the role in question. Carve out time to accept a call from an employer. We’ve heard of references taking even planned calls from an airport terminal or grocery checkout line. This does a disservice to the candidate. Schedule times you’re in a quiet and dedicated space to talk and give your best.

On a Call

Get a status report. Ask the employer where they are in their recruitment and information gathering, so you can provide relevant information. Confirm parameters with the employer. Find out who will be privy to information you provide (a search committee perhaps?) and what will be shared with the candidate. Be sure you’re comfortable about matters of confidentiality. Don’t paint a picture of perfection. No candidate is perfect and wants their reference to oversell them. Don’t be too rosy in your characterizations and share recommendations for the candidate’s continued growth.

After the Fact

Be forgiving if you’re not contacted. Remember the candidate has little control over whom the employer contacts. If you’re the fourth or fifth person on a reference list especially, you may not get contacted. Follow up; offer insights or moral support. Some candidates will keep you abreast of the status of their candidacy. Others won’t if it didn’t go well. Exercise patience and grace. Job searches can be all-consuming and dispiriting and the candidate may not want to recount the experience. Reach out with a quick note: “Just checking in. How did it turn out with that job you applied for?” Offer congratulations, or offer to be a sounding board. Share advice if there’s anything you can offer to help them in the future. Keep your eyes and ears open for opportunities. If you believe in this person, look for opportunities for them. Nominate them when search firms or industry colleagues reach out about opportunities.

Referencing is a game of give and take. Just as you depend upon your references, be a good reference to others. Be thoughtful about it. It’s a chance to help a colleague . . . and generate good professional karma.

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