📝 How do I ask someone to be a reference and who should I pick?

The right reference can help you land the job, but only if you ask the right person in the right way. Here’s how.

Welcome to Pressing Questions, Fast Company’s work-life advice column. Every week, deputy editor Kathleen Davis, host of The New Way We Work podcast, will answer the biggest and most pressing workplace questions.

Q: How do I ask someone to be a reference and who should I pick?

A: Choosing the right reference is a really important part of the job-hunting process. The right person saying the right things about you can tip the scales in your favor if a hiring manager is trying to decide between you and another candidate.

“It’s more important to have your direct supervisor than the CEO, or a professor who graded four of your papers rather than a Nobel Prize winner who lectured at your school,” she said. “The reference is about you—not about how impressive your recommender is.”

Don’t put all of your eggs in one basket

My first piece of advice is to have more than one person in mind. Like a lot of things in life, it’s good to diversify your portfolio. If you have one person you want to be your reference, what will you do if they say no?

Even if that one person says yes, chances are you are applying for more than one role—how eager do you think they’ll be to give quality feedback the tenth time they are asked? Can one person really speak to everything you may want to highlight for a potential employer? So, rather than starting with one person in mind, make a list of the top five people you might ask.

Read the complete Fast Company article BY Kathleen Davis: https://www.fastcompany.com/91194823/how-do-i-ask-someone-to-be-a-reference-and-who-should-i-pick