Effectively Using Professional References in Your Job Application

Most any position for which you apply will require that you provide professional references. Sometimes, deciding whom to ask and how to ask can be tricky waters to navigate, especially if your current employer is unaware you are job searching. I’ve put together a few tips below on how to resolve common situations and help make the selection and request process for references easier on you.

My Current Employer Doesn’t Know I’m Job Searching

It is completely normal, and not at all a “red flag” or warning sign if you do not include your current supervisor or boss as a reference on your application. Most people who are job searching do not want their current employer to know about their efforts. If you have previous bosses or supervisors that you can trust, however, be sure to put them down as references — especially if they are in the same industry or will have exceptionally complimentary things to say about you.

Because you will likely need to ask former bosses to be a reference at some point in your career, it is important to stay in touch, even if just via email a few times a year after you depart the company. For them to be a valuable reference for you, you need to stay in their mind. If it’s been three years since you worked at a company, and you…