Maximising The Value Of Your References
When you are preparing yourself to find a new role, one of the first things you should do is line up your referees. Selecting a referee is not as simple as choosing your best friend from your current firm. It should be someone with the right level of influence and credentials for the role you apply for.
As a leading, highly reputable specialist legal recruitment agency, we spend a great deal of time authenticating and checking our candidate references.
These are our 5 top tips to maximise the value of your professional references.
1. Consider their relevance to the role you are applying for
Are they in the right part of the legal industry? Are they from a similar style/size of firm? Are they likely to be an influential connection of the hiring manager? (We hope so!) Were they in a position superior or equivalent to yours? Ideally they will be someone you interacted with regularly who knows you and your work ethic well.
2. Ensure you have their permission to include them as referees
Please ensure that you have asked them! And that they are happy to provide a glowing reference. Even better, if you word them up on what you might like them to focus on – your client relationship skills? Your business development skills? Your expertise in a particular area of law?
3. Ensure you have up to date contact details
It is always worth having a conversation with your prospective referees. This ensures that they are aware that you are out looking for roles and what you are looking for. Consider this an extension of the networking activities you are undertaking as part of your job search. Your referee may even keep an eye out for your dream role for you! There is nothing worse than attempting to contact referees for a candidate, only to find their referees have dropped off the face of the earth.
4. How to notate them
Many people state on their CV 'referees available on request'. You can then save them on an additional page in your CV document. You should include name, title and firm. You should also include both a contact telephone number and an e-mail address.
5. Give them a heads up to expect a call
Once you know that your referees are being contacted, it is a good idea to let them know. Give them the name of the recruiter or the hiring manager who is likely to contact them. This will prevent any call screening and also let them think about how they are likely to recommend you. At this point you can highlight the selection criteria. This gives them an opportunity to mention your skills in that area.
It can be tricky to balance keeping your job search discreet with having the right recommendation from a current and relevant industry professional. One thing to consider with your current employer is to ensure you have captured any of their recommendations on your LinkedIn profile. Whilst these are perhaps not as powerful as a traditional phone or written recommendation, they can still be influential and recruiters can highlight these to the company’s hiring manager.
If 2018 is the right time for a career move for you, then we encourage you to get in touch with your referees. This ensures you are both on the same page for your next step to career success!
Legal People is your gateway to the best legal career opportunities. If you are looking for a new role in the Legal Industry in Melbourne, then let’s talk!
We are specialists in the Legal Industry and recruit Lawyers, Support staff and HR professionals. If you enjoyed reading this article, you can follow our Company Page on LinkedIn for regular updates.
