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After you submit your resume and cover letter and have a job interview, an employer may want to know more about your skills, experiences, and past performance. One way to help the employer verify that you're the right for the job is to provided them a list of "references."
A "reference" is a person that you've worked with in the past who can verify and elaborate on your professional experience for a potential employer. Primarily, a good reference knows you in a primarly professional setting.
- Current or former supervisors (from a work or volunteer setting)
- Current or former co-workers
- CCD instructors, advisors, or case managers
You may also have people who know you well, but are NOT good examples of references because they have not worked with you in a primarly professional setting:
- Family members (parents, spouses/partners, aunts and uncles, etc.)
- Personal friends
- Religious leaders (EX: pastor, rabbi, etc.)
Looking back on your job and school career, you may have many potential references. However, it may not be appropriate to list ALL of them on a reference list for an employer.
- Which of my references know me the best in a work or volunteer setting?
- Are the references I've listed going to have positive things to say about me?
- Which references are the most closely related to the job I am seeking? For example, if you are applying for a Human Services job, you may choose a Human Services instructor at CCD over an English instructor simply becasue they are more closely related.
Creating a reference list is a fairly simple task. To view sample templates, please log into Career Connections and look under the "Resource Library."
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