3 Benefits of a Professional Reference

Employers wants to hire the most skilled and trustworthy employees. Resumes are submitted for hiring managers to review, making sure that they pick the ones with the best credentials. When trying to get a job, standing out is the best way to put yourself ahead of the competition. If you’re able to do that, then it makes landing the job that much easier. But that begs the question, what’s one way that you can stand out from the competition? There’s one great way that’ll make you look different from the rest. A professional reference.

1. Easy way to stand out

A professional reference is getting an old boss, colleague, client, or college professor to vouch for you. Whether it’s through a letter of recommendation or as someone a potential employer can contact to confirm that you are who you say you are. Some jobs require references, but even if they don’t, if you’re able to provide a professional reference, that’s even better. It shows you’re willing to do the work and it automatically puts you ahead of everyone who doesn’t have one. If you really want to land the job, it would be in your best interest to maximize your chances.

2. Building connections

There are some job industries that are far tighter knit then one would think. A good example of that is the food service industry. You could be searching for employment at a new restaurant and ask your head chef for a professional reference, only to find out that your head chef used to work at the establishment that you’re applying to now, and she was trusted and well respected while she worked there. It might not be a very likely scenario, but it does happen. There’s a chance that this reference will help you stand out. You’ll be surprised by who knows who in certain fields and it’d be wise to take advantage of the connections that you’ve built to build new ones.

3. Establishes trust

The best part about a professional reference is that it makes you look trustworthy. It’s easy for candidates to lie about their credentials on their resume (never do this by the way!), but by using a professional reference, it gives the hiring manager a point of contact to be able to confirm that you’ve really worked there and what you’ve done for that company. A professional reference can help you move forward in your career.