Asking for a Reference via Email or Snail Mail

The three words that will get you further in life than almost anything else: Manners, Manners, Manners. Often people ask for a reference and don’t provide any context as to the specifics of what that reference should contain; and in doing so leave it completely up to the individual. Ask for what you want and in reference to what knowledge, skills, and abilities you wish to have portrayed. Otherwise, your reference might have nothing to do with the job you are seeking. Choosing the right words to ask for a reference may be the difference between getting a good one or a stellar one.

Assuming you know how to format an email or letter, the content can be re-arranged and altered to fit the specifics of your particular situation. Be careful though, not to change the meaning of the content. A formal tone is generally best, however if this is a person you know well then you can relax the language a little bit.

Subject Line: Reference Request: Your Name

Dear Mr./Ms. ________,

I am writing this email/letter to ask if you would consider being a professional reference for me?

Currently, I am in search of a new position in the field of ______ and I believe a strong reference from you would genuinely enhance my opportunities. I would be grateful if you were able to attest to the qualifications and _______ skills I gained during my tenure with ABC123 Company.

Specifically the skills listed below:

• Project management
• Accurate scheduling and budgeting
• On time deliverables, on or below budget
• Collaboration
• Leading by example
• Ability to bring together people of diverse backgrounds into a cohesive team

Should you have any questions or if there is any additional information I can provide, I can be reached at name@email.com or (999) 555-1234.

Thank you for your consideration and I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,
Your Name/Signature

Requesting an Online Reference

Many social networking sites have the ability for one member to make a visible recommendation about another. LinkedIn is probably the best known; however there is an art to recommendations here too. One thing to keep in mind is that you don’t want too many rejections when it comes to recommendations as this can flag your e-Profile as predatory. Messaging systems like LinkedIn’s make it easy to send a note to someone requesting the recommendation, however you should be connected to this person and be able to associate the potential recommendation to a specific job in your employment history.

Rather than being shot down by LinkedIn or other networking site, you might consider sending an email to this person first requesting a connection if you don’t already have one, followed by an email requesting a LinkedIn recommendation. Following the rule of providing a short list as to specifically what the recommendation should be focused toward or entail.

How Request a Reference

The language used to request your reference should be polite and considerate; a blunt or demanding style will probably end with a rejection. Also, it is important to provide a context, if possible, for the reference. Instead of just asking “Could you be a reference?” or “Would you write a letter of reference for me?” ask “Do you think you know my project management skills well enough to provide a reference for me?” or “Would you feel comfortable providing a reference as one of my customers?” Choosing your words in this fashion provides your contact with a choice, rather than being put upon. It also provides the context in which they believe they will be testifying on your behalf. The flip side is that it also provides the opportunity for them to decline (not something we want) if they do not have the time or don’t feel they can support you for what ever reason.

Either email or a phone call is acceptable when requesting a reference, though you might want to send an email ahead of either suggesting you have a personal question to ask them and wondered if that would be alright. If the relationship has been professional up to this point, the email will allow it to cross only slightly into the personal arena. Prepare a short list of items you believe this person could attest to; whether by email or telephone make your request and provide them with the list. Similar to a meeting agenda, providing the list sets the stage and expectations clearly and you can control (to some extent) what will be discussed with the organization.

When a contact agrees to provide you with a reference, help them out a little. Send them a link to any of your “PROFESSIONAL” e-Profiles and attach the most up-to-date copy of your resume. This also means that any e-Profile(s) must be up-to-date as well with any information on your knowledge, skills, abilities, and experience.

References

In another post, References Can Kill A Job Opportunity by Rebecca Kay, it was suggested to have a list of 12 personal and 12 professional references. The question came up as to why so many and how does one get these references. Think about references as friends and acquaintances; you don’t have just one style of friend for all occasions do you? Generally people have a range of friends from those we party with to those we might consider going to a movie or a museum or art show. Those that we can have over for a quiet night at home and those we would never dream of entertaining in a small intimate group. References are much the same.

Each reference, personal or professional, can attest to certain characteristics you possess, but not all. Take for example a personal reference who sits on the same finance committee as you for a religious, not-for-profit, or professional group in a volunteer capacity. This person cannot attest to your ability to sell a product or service if you are a salesperson; but they can attest to ethical behavior, team work, tenacity, and/or initiative.

By the same token a professional reference who was your customer (in the same scenario as above) can only attest to your professionalism while you were working on their account. Getting them answers or solutions doesn’t mean they will be able to confirm your ability to work well with a team on a project.

So what do you do? Create an electronic document (preferably able to be printed on one page – though as your list grows it may go over to a second page) that includes the following information:

• Name (obvious)
• Contact information (cell and/or email address) and preferred method of contact
• Relationship (how do you know this person; boss, customer, co-worker, vendor, sat on the same committee, name of the company, project you worked with them on, friend, religious clergy/elder/leader, etc.)
• Number of years known
• Group (professional or personal)
• Category (project management, customer service, relationship management, team work, ethics, etc.)

Depending on the position you are applying for, different references have more/less credibility. For example if the job was in government, a religious connection may not be the best personal reference. The other side of that coin, suggests that a customer reference would be a great choice for a position that has heavy interaction with the organization’s customers.

Choosing the best suited reference to give a prospective employer is just as important as wearing the right attire to the interview. Once you have selected the four references for each the professional and personal groups for a particular job and organization, print your list on a single page grouped by Professional and Personal. Include the names, job titles, contact information, and years known for each of your references.

Take the document to the interview and always let the company know you have that if they cannot reach one of your references, you do have alternates. This will help them to understand the depth of your character as you have more references that can speak to your different aspects.

Industrial Innovations

Awesome article on innovative industries. If you’re having difficulty in picking a career path or are interested in changing fields.
Innovation: Where Can I Find It?
By Rob Berman
March 15th, 2011

Innovation needs to be part of a company’s culture or DNA. Some industries seem to have more innovation than others whether it is a processor other reasons. To learn more about industry variations I spoke with Jatin DeSai. He is the CEO of The DeSai Group.

In his article, Rob discusses several points to consider:

1. The most innovative industries
2. The industries ready for innovation
3. The geography of innovation
4. The next big innovation