Call Your References

by Paul W. Barada

So you've got your list of references, and they're all super. They're people you've worked with, who know how well you've performed and are willing to talk to prospective employers. But when was the last time you talked to them?

It really doesn't matter if you've got the perfect job and you intend to stay in it for the rest of your career, a lot of people with whom I've spoken during the last few months had no idea they would be in a job search. Given the soft economy, today's great job could easily turn into a position that's eliminated or downsized.

To illustrate the situation, here's the sort of question that has been coming up with increasing frequency on the Getting and Giving References message board: "My job was recently eliminated, and I'm in the midst of a job search. My problem is I can't locate my references. The company where we worked together is no longer in business, they've taken other jobs, and I don't know where to find them. What should I do?"

Once you have a solid list of references who can -- and will -- discuss your skills and abilities over time, you need to keep in touch with them every so often so you can keep track of them. Here are some practical suggestions:

The worst thing that can happen to you is to lose track of good references. Stay in touch with them, not just for selfish reasons, but also to keep in touch with old friends. Make it a point to call -- not email -- your references about every three months. This will not only solidify your friendships, but it will also reconfirm that they are still willing to serve as references for you.

Keep a good, up-to-date email and telephone directory of your references. It's important to note that keeping a company email address or office telephone number may not be enough. Back it up with a list of home emails and home telephone numbers.

If one of your references should leave or change jobs between calls, the chances are excellent that someone will know where he went. By the same token, it's also likely your references will tell you about pending job changes during one of your quarterly calls.

Ask your references to keep you informed about where they are. This is an obvious recommendation, but it's often overlooked. Most of the time, people who know you and have worked with you are happy to serve as references. If you're keeping in touch with them on a quarterly basis, it's not inappropriate to ask them to let you know if they're planning a career change.

Keep your list of references current. References should be people with whom you've worked on a daily basis within the last five to seven years. Why? Because people change over time. They grow, gain experience, learn new skills, have different responsibilities and improve in areas that were weak five years ago but are strong now. References that span the five to seven year time frame can demonstrate how you've changed and grown during that time.

The other reason to keep your list of references updated is because a reference from a decade ago may have a tough time remembering the details about your performance that a prospective employer wants. So, over time, keep adding to your list of references to insure that a prospective employer can get the best picture of not only where you've been in your career, but also where you are now.

Failing to keep in touch with your references can make it difficult or impossible to find them. If you let too much time pass, it's entirely possible that the people who could have told you where a reference went will have moved on themselves.