Reports, presentations, papers, essays, journal articles, analyses, etc. can all demonstrate your skills and abilities. Be sure to redact any confidential or proprietary information in the documents.
Be sure to redact any confidential or proprietary information in the documents. In addition to evaluations, you can also try: letters of recognition, thank you letters from clients, testimonials from clients or fellow employees, and awards you’ve won.
Corporate references are becoming harder to obtain, even if you left your former employer for legitimate reasons. Many employers are concerned about lawsuits from providing either positive or negative references for former employees. Personal professional references are references directly from another person, and not connected to the employer. However, the person can be someone you previously worked for or with, as long as they’re providing the reference from themselves and not from their employer. Personal professional references need to ensure that they are speaking from their own personal experience working with you, and are not speaking as a representative of their employer.
If you are being terminated from an employer for valid reasons (e. g. layoffs, cut backs, etc. ) you should ask for a written reference letter as part of your severance agreement. This is especially helpful if the company is being reorganized or sold and contacting them will be difficult in the future.
References of this type can come from a former supervisor (especially if the organization is small) or from the Human Resources (HR) department. Since your potential employer is not asking personal questions about you, the person confirming your employment doesn’t have to know you. They simply need to be able to confirm you used to work there for a specific period of time.
A personal reference can be from someone who knows you, but has never worked with you in a professional environment. For example, they could be a friend, a classmate, a teammate, a coach, a teacher, etc.
Also consider former clients you may have had, if you worked in a job in which you served clients. Your first thought may be that you don’t want to bother former managers or co-workers, but remember that it’s for a very good reason. If they do not understand the importance of references (not uncommon) or cannot be bothered (very common) or have no guidance to help regarding references - persist. Perhaps a heartfelt call or visit may help to override this. If you’re able to find a former supervisor or co-worker, and they’re really busy, you could write the reference letter yourself and just ask them to edit and sign it.
If you know there’s going to be a big gap between leaving your current job and looking for a new job (because you’re going back to school for a few years, or you’re going to stay home with your kids, etc. ), ask for a reference letter. However, keep in mind that written references are not normally considered sufficient.
Networks can include: friends, co-workers, fellow volunteers, clients, supervisors, religious leaders, fellow students, teachers/professors, business contacts, and more. Think about who you’d call for advice, who you’d go to for support, who knows what’s going on in your field, who already knows someone you want to be introduced to, who can teach you something useful, and who can back-up your great ideas. All of these people should be a part of your network. Keep in touch with the people in your network as often as you can. For example, keep track of them on LinkedIn and congratulate them on promotions and other major life events. Or make sure to send them a card for their birthday or the holidays every year.
Volunteer work that you’ve performed for a religious or social group can also be used as both experience and a potential reference.
Ask your teacher or professor before you leave school. You are not likely to be the first student to ask them for a reference. Consider asking your teacher or professor for a reference letter as well. As you can imagine, they’re going to have a lot of future students. Writing down the great things about you when they remember them will be helpful for them in the future.
Put all your effort into the job search, application, and interview process and try not to worry about your reference situation. When a potential employer finally asks for references, discuss your various options with them. If you’ve impressed them to this point, they’ll work with you to find an alternative to a professional reference.
A Curriculum Vitae (CV) is a resume for academic or research jobs. A CV is normally much longer and much more detailed than a typical resume. Don’t submit a CV for a job that doesn’t require one. Due to its length, a hiring manager will not likely have time to read it and may overlook you altogether. Resumes, like cover letters, can be customized to the job you’re applying for. For example, if you include an objective or goal statement at the top of your resume, you may want to alter it depending on what type of job you’re applying to. In today’s computer-based world, make sure your resume is formatted in a way that can easily be scanned. Many large organizations have recruiting systems that scan resumes and enter the information from your resume into a database. Having your resume in their database increases your chances of getting a job. Try to keep your resume to 2 pages, especially if you’re just starting your career.
The words ”References Available Upon Request” can take up much needed space on your resume and ends up just stating the obvious.
You should write a different cover letter for each and every job you apply for. While you can re-use certain parts of a cover letter for more than one job, each letter should be customized for the job you’re applying to. Be sure to use keywords from the job posting in your cover letter. Many employers use a cover letter to determine how well you read the job posting, how well you understood the organization, and how well you understood what they were looking for in an employee. Make sure the formatting (e. g. font, margins, etc. ) on your cover letter matches your resume.
The best place to start your research is the company’s website. If it’s a publicly-traded company you should be able to download the company’s annual and quarterly reports from their website. You can also read recent press releases to determine what the company feels is important for the public to know. This is a great chance for you to use your network. Ask people from your network what they know about the company or the position. If you know someone who has worked at the company before, ask them about the organizational culture and hiring process.
You can find many standard interview questions online with a quick Google search. Practice with another person who will give you honest feedback about your answers, posture, style, manner, etc. Practice speaking without adding fillers like ‘um’ or ‘like. ’ Bring notes and questions to the interview with you. And don’t be afraid to take notes during the interview. Make sure you know where you need to go for the interview, especially if you’ve never been there before. Visit the location in advance if needed. Plan to arrive at the interview location early. You don’t have to go in and announce you’ve arrived really early, but by being early you ensure you’re not late.
Even if the company has a casual dress code, avoid clothing such as: ripped jeans, shirts with offensive language or an unusual company logo, shorts, tank tops, really short skirts, and other items that may appear unprofessional.
If career services are not part of your severance packages, consider asking for them to be included.
Many college career centres also host networking events and career fairs on campus to help students find summer employment and full-time work.
