4 Things To Always Consider While Naming Your Referees

A Human Resource Officer recently confessed that while going through CV’s and short listing for a particular position, he came across a CV which had someone ‘influential’ at Nation Media Group listed as one of the referees.
“Impressed was the word I would use to describe my first reaction,” said the HR manager
It turns out that since the job candidate had attended an event where the ‘NMG person’ had been one of the speakers and having had a brief chat with him, that was reason enough to have him as her referee.
Which begs the question, who qualifies as a referee and who doesn’t? 
1. Do’s: It should Always Be Someone Who Knows You
Speaking to Maureen Kiugu, HR Specialist with Pan African Life, she advises that a person who knows your skills and what you are good at is always recommended when doing so.
“Your referee should be someone who can attest to your abilities. They should not be vague when asked about your work ethics when the recruiter decides to do a reference check on you.”
She advises that you can even include your current employer, “provided you have a good working relationship with them.”
She however adds that previous supervisors and line managers serve a great purpose here.
“If you are just out of college and haven’t had a share of employers or supervisors, I say go for your lecturers because in this level most recruiters are looking for people who can attest to your character rather than your skills.”
2. Do’s: Always Inform Your Referees Before Hand
Ms Kiugu adds that’s common to find that the person most job seekers list as referees do not even remember who ‘you’ are
“Call this person and give them a heads up and it’s always courteous to ask them if they would mind if you listed them as one of your referees.
Ms Kiugu adds that, “it’s important to get your referee’s approval before putting them your CV.”
3. Don’t Give Out Wrong Job Titles & Out of Date Contacts
Ms Kiugu advices that, “It’s upon you as a serious job applicant to make sure you do not supply incorrect or out-of-date contact details.”
She adds that it’s also important to make sure that they (referees) will be available and are not planning to go away on a leave or a trip soon.
4. Don’t Just Put ‘Anyone’ as your Referee To Impress The HR Officer
Mentioning the above story where a job applicant may deem it fit to include someone with a ‘big title’ and working with a ‘big company’ as one of your referees in attempt to impress the recruiter Ms Kiugu doing so does not do you any good.
“The next probable thing the recruiter will do is toss your CV away if your referees are not credible
Related: 4 Referee Mistakes That Might Cost You The Job