Personal References

Up to this point in the hiring process, the employer has mainly heard about you from you. References provide the employer a perspective from people who know you.

• Best source: Work supervisors
• Okay source: Professors, coworkers
  • If choosing a professor, make sure that you did some notable project in that professor's course or interacted with them outside of assigned coursework. Simply completing assigned homework and doing well on quizzes is not enough "meat" for a professor to give a helpful reference.
• Questionable but okay: Colleagues at other companies
• Last resort: Family friends, pastors, or others who are not directly familiar with your professional work

Letters of Recommendation

• Ask if somebody would be willing to write a letter of recommendation.
• Write the first draft of your own letter of recommendation. Writing the first draft reminds the writer of your major accomplishments. The draft is also an opportunity for you to tailor the draft to the job description--something you will be much more familiar with than the letter writer.
• Ensure that the person writing the letter will provide a positive recommendation. This is more of a self-reflective exercise rather than a question you would normally ask.

References

Typically, employers contact references during the final stages of hiring. At this point, they are looking for red flags rather than trying to assess your competence or fit.

• Like the letter of recommendation, ask if somebody is willing to be a reference. As a matter of company policy, some people may not be allowed to provide references.
• Email your reference with a list of projects, skills, or other things you might want them to highlight if contacted by an employer.
• Give your reference a heads up to expect contact from a company.
• Use your references' professional contact information--i.e., their company email address and work phone numbers. Try to find this information in their email signatures and confirm that it is the correct information to use.

People providing references advocate for you but also have a professional ethical obligation to be honest. Make sure that you behave professionally at all times to avoid your reference having to divulge uncomfortable information about you. For example, if you make off-color jokes in class that make your fellow students uncomfortable, your reference could bring that up as a concern.