Professional references are the group of people who are a trusted resource for universities and companies that want to know about your reputation, performance, personality, and other things, before working with you. They are the people who can guarantee your qualifications for a job, the people with whom you have established a formal relationship at your previous place of work, your school, your university, or with whom you have previously worked on a business project. Therefore, when you apply for a job, you are usually asked to provide the company with a list of three professional references.
These people can be:
Your former employer.
Your former supervisor.
Your university teacher.
Your academic advisor.
One of your colleagues.
A member of a project you took part in.
Therefore, before you graduate from university, or leave your job, be sure to tell one of your closest professors or supervisors that you will choose them as a professional reference in the future. This way, if someone contacts them to ask about you, they will be ready for it.
Also, make sure that you don’t add someone as a professional reference without informing them previously, for if a company asks them about you, and they don’t remember you, this may negatively affect your application for employment or your university path.
Moreover, make sure to always stay in touch with your chosen references, even after you have secured a job or been accepted into a higher program, as you may need these people again in the future, or they may need you.
In addition, even if you are asked to provide only three references, make sure that you have a larger number as support, in case of any emergency, and to ensure a better reputation.
You can also request a recommendation letter to use in future job applications, for it strengthens your profile.
The recommendation letter is one of the most required things when applying for jobs, and it is an official letter written by the former employer, teacher, or academic supervisor, about your performance at work or during your studies, and it facilitates your obtaining an interview, and gives a general idea about you.
HR Consultant