Choosing Referees

Being offered a position is a combination of having the right skills and experience, conducting yourself professionally at interviews and having these capabilities confirmed by your referees. 

A referee is ideally someone that you have reported to in a professional capacity that has supervised your work and is able to provide comments relating to your skills and performance. Areas that may be covered in a reference include confirmation of your employment and responsibilities, your strengths and possible areas for development, the type of people that you work well with and the management style that you best respond to. 

Other issues discussed might include your ability to work unsupervised and as part of a team and your ability to take direction. The referee may also be asked to provide an opinion on your potential suitability for the role to which you have applied. It is important when you select your referees, that the person is able to answer these questions about you. Professional referees tend to carry more credibility over a character reference. Character references and written references are not usually relied upon or requested.

A reference should be a confirmation and reinforcement of the information you have presented in your resume and interview.

Important Tips Regarding Referees:

	You must have your referee’s permission prior to providing their contact details to a prospective employer. A referee should never be caught off guard by an unexpected phone call as this can have potentially adverse affects.
	Provide your referee details of the role that you have applied for. This will assist in them being able to hone in on your relevant skills and strengths.
	It is also a good idea to contact your referees after the interview and provide them with feedback on the content of the interview. This will allow your referee to emphasise any key areas/strengths if they are contacted to provide comments.