When the economy's in recession, the job market can be said to be an "employer's market" because employers have a greater number of applicants to choose from and can therefore afford to be much pickier when they're hiring their new industrial mixer operator. This is bad news for you if you're going to be looking for a job after you finish moving to Toledo, Ohio. To help you get the jump on your competition, you need to have excellent job references.
Job references are often overlooked in favor of writing a really great resume. However, although resumes are very important, it's your references that will get you the job. You could hand the employer a sheaf of qualifications but he or she has no way of knowing whether it's fact or fiction. This is where your references come in. By calling them, the employer hopes to gain a picture of you when you worked in your old job, and therefore, an idea of what you would be like working at their company.
When you're choosing who your references will be, make sure that they are relevant to the job you're applying for. For instance, if you're applying for an office job doing search engine marketing, ask your old boss from SEM Toronto to provide a reference so you can show your potential new employer that you have experience in the field. If you don't have any past work experience that's relevant, you can use volunteer experience or even peripherally related work experience (for instance, if you used to do data entry).
The references you choose should also know you well. A supervisor you worked for two jobs ago whom you still keep in touch with will be a better reference than your last boss, who couldn't even remember your name while you were working there. Remember: you want them to convince your new employer that you SHOULD be hired, so choose people who will tell them that you were a model employee, not ones who will complain about how they had to hire a Burlington lawyer to remove you from the building.
It's important to check with your references first to make sure they're willing to speak to your new employer, and to call or email to warn them when they may be receiving a call and from whom. List them at the bottom of your resume like so:
John Smith
Toronto architect
Smith and Sons Architecture Firm
Toronto, Ontario
(555) 555-5555
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