Easily Have Professional References at the Ready

SERIES: References

Stewarding the Relationship

Last time, we talked about general ways to go about securing references for yourself. Today, we focus on how you maintain a pool of professional references. By taking this step, you accomplish a couple things. One, your references will never feel frustrated that they only hear from you when you need a reference. And two, you’ll never have to rush around last-minute trying to pull together a list of professional references.

Steward the relationship

Think back to the last time someone helped you get a job offer by providing a reference. Did you follow up with that reference to let them know the outcome? Hopefully, the answer is yes! Anytime someone has helped you, they have some level of interest in your success. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be a reference for you! And since they are invested in your success, they will be elated to hear the big news. Everyone feels good when they’re able to help in some way.

The long-term outlook

And that initial step really segues nicely into the ongoing level of stewardship. Now that this reference knows that you got the job, keep them in the loop. It doesn’t have to be weekly or monthly but just throughout the year at opportune times (we’ll cover this more in detail in a few moments). The regular contact is a chance for you to share how the role is going. You could also talk about changes in your role or promotions you receive. Or perhaps there is some big news that your company is celebrating.

Staying in touch the easy way

You can certainly set up reminders in your calendar to remind you that it’s time to check in with your contacts. However, LinkedIn is really a great resource to help simplify the process for you.

First, make sure you are connected to your supervisors and coworkers—past and present. Once you are, the system makes it very easy for you to come up with reasons to reach out to your contacts to check in with them. You receive alerts when someone changes jobs, gets a promotion within the company, or when they have an anniversary. What a great time to send a message to congratulate them! And meanwhile, you can give them an update on how you’re doing as well.

In addition to these features, LinkedIn also allows you to endorse your contacts for their skills. And even better, those endorsements help to boost the value of their profile to other viewers. Your contacts will appreciate the kind gesture.

Steward Away!

This isn’t meant to serve as the be-all, end-all list of reference stewardship, but it should help get you started on brainstorming some ideas. Whatever method you choose, what matters is that you find a way to build relationships for the long-term. Once you have that, asking for a reference will be effortless and instead feels like asking for a little help from an old friend.

Written by Adam Lafield, Recruiter & Marketing Specialist