Professional references

DiscoZombie

I'll try to cut right to the chase. I just got offered a decent job - the job I've already been DOING as a contractor for over a year - and yet they want 5 professional references in order to bring me on perma. Now, I really suck at the world of corporate networking. It just seems so sleazy and phony to me, and I'm a shy guy to begin with. Do people you haven't talked to in like 2 years think it's weird if you email them out of the blue saying "hey! remember me? how's it going! now give me a reference!" I mean, I guess it's just part of the way the world works, but I hate doing it.

That brings me to sites like LinkedIn. I guess I shouldn't feel bad about adding everyone pretty much everyone I've ever spoken to professionally to it, right? I just joined it, and I even added my current boss, which I feel EXTRA weird about, because, does that send the message, "hey, I'm on LinkedIn, that means I'm looking for a better job than this cheezy ass one you have me doing"? Or does it just go without saying that everyone wants to move up in the world and bosses understand that as much as the next guy?

basically I'm clueless re: corporate etiquette

Eat it You Nasty Pig.

Just drop them an email and explain your situation, e.g. "Hey, we worked together a couple years ago, and I need a complete reference history for this application, do you mind if I list you?"

Assuming it just means that they might get a phone call at some point and they don't have to write you an actual letter of rec or something, people usually don't care.

edit: and yeah everyone is on linkedin, not a big deal, unless you are actively using it to search for new openings.

Iceman.USAF

Are you looking for someone to list as a reference or to write a letter for you?

Big difference. References you can use co-workers and that type of thing. Letters of recommendation you'd want to come from supervisors. It might help if you've got a basic draft letter typed up, so if someone is essentially willing but doesn't have time, you can offer to write one and have them sign it. The military encourages similar things on our performance reports (IE, you evaluate your own performance and your supervisors critiques your own self-image. It's interesting)

Lewisham

Five people sounds like a lot, I can't imagine they intend to contact that many, especially when it's a job you've already been doing. Depending on your age, you could easily list old professors or teachers.

Re: LinkedIn: Yes, adding your current corporate network is fine. LinkedIn is not "I'm looking for another job" it's "I'm maintaining my corporate network, and not doing something stupid like adding clients to Facebook." It makes you appear diligent, and I would encourage it.

MichaelLC

Lewisham wrote: »

Re: LinkedIn: Yes, adding your current corporate network is fine. LinkedIn is not "I'm looking for another job" it's "I'm maintaining my corporate network, and not doing something stupid like adding clients to Facebook." It makes you appear diligent, and I would encourage it.

Yeah, there's nothing wrong with adding your current co-workers - I mean, there's always some crazy person or company that may overreact, but pretty much everyone uses it just to stay in touch.

This has been my biggest lesson since being unemployed. I didn't keep up with contacts outside my company and now I'm playing catch-up.

Lewisham

...also, if it helps you get over your weird feeling: the vast majority of jobs (90%?) are never externally advertised and filled within the company or via networking. You never know when your network will pay off for you. I thought this sounded like bunk, so I asked my Dad (who works in HR) and he told me after 21, every single job since was via networking, and he's doing well for himself.

Don't feel weird about it. The only thing that's sort of odd is that you are creating an implicit, unspoken relationship of "you scratch my back, and I'll scratch yours". Just as you will look to your network to help you with professional references, sometimes they may look to you for the similar things.

I particularly like how LinkedIn will tell you if you have a connection to a specific person, even if it is multiple degrees away. That way, if you have a job interview with a company, you can get the name of the interviewer, type it into LinkedIn, and find some people to email and do recon for you.

Chanus

The last time I actually went in and applied for a job, cold, was in High School. Every single job I've gotten since then has been through someone I know, or someone I know knowing someone looking to hire.

Networking isn't "sleezy and phony", though many of the people who partake can be. You learn to weed those people out.

Really, networking is just the old "who you know" adage. It can be as simple as not burning bridges when you move on to a new job.