Reference Letters How To Get Them, Where To Store Them

Reference Letters â€" How To Get Them, Where To Store Them George Blomgren has some great thoughts on reference letters (check out the referenced post, on what to do if you dont have the reference letters (and cant get them part of his Tough Questions series)). Ive seen this topic a lot on blogs, and heard it a lot in network meetings. When I got laid off last year I immediately asked for reference letters from my bosses (three different people). I also asked for reference letters from three subordinates (more coworkers, who had gone on to become managers in different companies) so I felt well-prepared if someone asked me for letters of reference. But I dont have any from my past jobs. I may have gotten them if I did I am sure they are long lost. So here are my tips on preparing yourself for any transition that you may go through: Start to collect them NOW. Why not? Kim Isaacs at ResumePower.com suggests a kudos file I would not be able to effectively manage a big file folder full of stuff but its an excellent idea (hence, the where to store Ill get there). The point is, ask your current contacts for letters right now (not everyone, but the ones that make sense). And go back to past employers (or professors, deans, classmates, etc.) and say something like Im trying to get some documents in order and was wondering if you would write be a reference letter, for when we worked together a few years ago? Don Goodman suggests writing your own, and then submitting them to others for approval not a bad idea. Know what they say. Johannes writes that HR managers have figured out ways to say negative stuff without saying anything negative ?? Go figure. But you may get letters that are less than ideal. Know what they say before you pass them along. Perhaps an HR buddy could review them for you to see if they really are positive and helpful. Write some for others. When I got laid off one of my first tasks was to write reference letters for the guys I worked with. I realized that I had been their boss for a few years and if they had to look for a job (most received the same fate just a week later) it would be really helpful to have a letter from me. But aside from that, writing them helps you understand the mechanics, and how to create them. Heres a great article on writing one when you dont want to Use them! Im no expert here, Id love to know what the experts think, but when I was a hiring manager I really didnt care for the references available upon request line. If you sent me a resume and coverletter (Id get at least 2 3 pages), why not include a little more with references? After all, this is your product testimonial! I would read the references BEFORE I read anything else I wanted to see if there were rich and meaningful its always interesting to see what your past boss or coworker says about you. So perhaps send them when you originally submit your application/resume? Store them somewhere for the long term. I dont care if you keep them on your computer at home (hope it doesnt crash). Or on your work computer (duh when you get terminated they arent going to let you pick your favorite files). you can put them all in a file folder (hope your house doesnt flood or catch on fire). I have one simple recommendation. Get a free account on JibberJobber and store them there. As an added bonus, if you ever send the letters anywhere you can use JibberJobber to track where they go (ie Ive sent my main resume to these 42 jobs). I have two JibberJobber users that shared the value of this with me. One had a flood in her basement and lost all of her hard-copy job stuff (resumes, letters, etc.). But she had them stored in JibberJobber whew! Another went on a 10-day trip and didnt realize hed want his resume handy. Instead of saying Ill send it to you when I get back home he was able to pull it off of JibberJobber and send it that day! What are you waiting for? Go get some reference letters right now, and then go put them in JibberJobber! Reference Letters â€" How To Get Them, Where To Store Them George Blomgren has some great thoughts on reference letters (check out the referenced post, on what to do if you dont have the reference letters (and cant get them part of his Tough Questions series)). Ive seen this topic a lot on blogs, and heard it a lot in network meetings. When I got laid off last year I immediately asked for reference letters from my bosses (three different people). I also asked for reference letters from three subordinates (more coworkers, who had gone on to become managers in different companies) so I felt well-prepared if someone asked me for letters of reference. But I dont have any from my past jobs. I may have gotten them if I did I am sure they are long lost. So here are my tips on preparing yourself for any transition that you may go through: Start to collect them NOW. Why not? Kim Isaacs at ResumePower.com suggests a kudos file I would not be able to effectively manage a big file folder full of stuff but its an excellent idea (hence, the where to store Ill get there). The point is, ask your current contacts for letters right now (not everyone, but the ones that make sense). And go back to past employers (or professors, deans, classmates, etc.) and say something like Im trying to get some documents in order and was wondering if you would write be a reference letter, for when we worked together a few years ago? Don Goodman suggests writing your own, and then submitting them to others for approval not a bad idea. Know what they say. Johannes writes that HR managers have figured out ways to say negative stuff without saying anything negative ?? Go figure. But you may get letters that are less than ideal. Know what they say before you pass them along. Perhaps an HR buddy could review them for you to see if they really are positive and helpful. Write some for others. When I got laid off one of my first tasks was to write reference letters for the guys I worked with. I realized that I had been their boss for a few years and if they had to look for a job (most received the same fate just a week later) it would be really helpful to have a letter from me. But aside from that, writing them helps you understand the mechanics, and how to create them. Heres a great article on writing one when you dont want to Use them! Im no expert here, Id love to know what the experts think, but when I was a hiring manager I really didnt care for the references available upon request line. If you sent me a resume and coverletter (Id get at least 2 3 pages), why not include a little more with references? After all, this is your product testimonial! I would read the references BEFORE I read anything else I wanted to see if there were rich and meaningful its always interesting to see what your past boss or coworker says about you. So perhaps send them when you originally submit your application/resume? Store them somewhere for the long term. I dont care if you keep them on your computer at home (hope it doesnt crash). Or on your work computer (duh when you get terminated they arent going to let you pick your favorite files). you can put them all in a file folder (hope your house doesnt flood or catch on fire). I have one simple recommendation. Get a free account on JibberJobber and store them there. As an added bonus, if you ever send the letters anywhere you can use JibberJobber to track where they go (ie Ive sent my main resume to these 42 jobs). I have two JibberJobber users that shared the value of this with me. One had a flood in her basement and lost all of her hard-copy job stuff (resumes, letters, etc.). But she had them stored in JibberJobber whew! Another went on a 10-day trip and didnt realize hed want his resume handy. Instead of saying Ill send it to you when I get back home he was able to pull it off of JibberJobber and send it that day! What are you waiting for? Go get some reference letters right now, and then go put them in JibberJobber!