What is the difference between referees and references

Referees could include contacts from Saturday jobs, temporary work or volunteer positions. You could also supply details of a teacher, lecturer or tutor but work references are always preferred. Sometimes, references are only given out by the HR department of an organisation. In this case, only basic information is likely to be provided. Who should you choose? The best references are given by people who know you well and who had a good working relationship with you.

Wherever possible, choose someone who you had a friendly working relationship with, who will give you as positive and sympathetic a reference as possible. A referee will need to be able to talk about your strengths and skills and provide examples to back these up, so they need to know you at least in a work capacity reasonably well.

Being asked to provide a reference with no prior warning is not pleasant and could mean they are not prepared and this may result in less positive feedback.

That way, the referee can prepare their statement before a potential employer contacts them. The more preparation a referee is able to do, the better their reference is likely to be. Provide as many ways of contacting each referee phone, mobile, email, company address as possible. The job market is mobile and people move jobs all the time — so relying on being able to contact someone who worked with you still at that organisation is not a good idea. An academic reference is one from a university or academic body and confirms that you have gained specific academic qualifications.

It may also confirm further academic study and that you have had academic papers and other works published. Of course you should always ask somebody who will give you a positive reference, although this can be difficult if you had problems with the natural person to ask.

One of the most common reasons people leave jobs is because they do not like their managers, which can make finding a referee a problem. Try to cover all recent jobs as recruiters may be suspicious of any gaps.

Get contact information from the referee, preferably for their work address or work email as home details will again raise suspicions. Many companies will only approach references if they are interested in you.

Some will do so only after you have accepted a job offer. This can be difficult for you if you do not even get an interview as you still have to ask the referees to help, thereby using up social capital with them and opening you to later awkward conversations 'No, I didn't even get an interview'.

There have been legal issues where job-hunters have sued companies who have issued unfavorable and possibly biased references that have negatively impacted their career.

As a result, many companies do not let managers give reference and all reference requests are handled by HR, who issue a very bland 'yes she worked here in this job' response.

When a recruiter talks on the phone to a former manager then nothing is recorded and there may be some frank conversation. You cannot control this and will likely never know what is said, even though it could be harmful to your career. Quotes Guest articles Analysis Books Help. More Kindle book s: And the big paperback book. Look inside. Please help and share:. More Kindle book s:. Home Top Menu Quick Links. References vs. Reference A reference is a credible document, typically a letter, that describes a previous job that you did and may well indicate that you completed it to a satisfactory degree.

You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly. You should upgrade or use an alternative browser. Referees vs. Thread starter Smurfan Start date Nov 4, Smurfan Senior Member Sweden.

What is the difference between referees and references when it comes to job applications? Should you give the recruiter your references or your referees?

English-Ireland top end. Your reference was written by your referee. The reference is usually a document. Your referee is a person. Hang on I thought so.