Career Directors International Offers 5 Ways Job Seekers and Resume Writers Can Benefit From Update Your References Week
Melbourne, Florida (PRWEB) May 06, 2015 -- It’s only fitting that with the renewal promised each year with the month of May that it would also be a perfect time for job seekers and the resume writers who serve them to have a call to action to refresh and renew professional employment references. To that end, Update Your References Week (UYRW), an event celebrated the first full week of May each year, was created and registered by Career Directors International (CDI), a global membership-based of resume writers and career coaches.
“Employment references are often forgotten until it is too late – when the job seeker needs them immediately. Therefore, CDI sought to champion the importance of preparing quality references so that job seekers could be armed with a powerful tool when interviewing for new positions”, says CDI President, Laura DeCarlo. “By creating a registered event, we can encourage everyone to get on board with understanding the need of a reference page and references prepared to speak on the candidate's behalf.”
In recognition of UYRW, CDI offers thes following five tips:
Tip #1: Don’t put off creating a list of professional references, especially if there is concern over not having enough or having become out of touch with them. Visit the UYRW web page for a series of tips on selecting references, how many are needed, and what information to collect.
Tip #2: Maintain up-to-date reference information and check it twice. It is critical to make sure the contact information for references is current. It would be extremely bad form for a prospective employer to reach a disconnected phone line or receive a bounced email.
Tip #3: Keep references warm by reaching out regularly to communicate with them. Even if someone is not in a job search, this is a valuable strategy to ensure they are ready and prepared to assist when and if a fantastic position appears.
Tip #4: Thank and update references repeatedly through the interviewing process. References should have a copy of the position being interviewed for, they should receive regular feedback, and they should be thanked at each step. These small efforts will allow references to stay motivated and willing to assist.
Tip #5: Access more resources -- career and resume professionals who are members of CDI can access a variety of value-added tools for UYRM such as sample marketing letters and press releases, a references worksheet, and a 4+ page best practices tip sheet on creating employment references pages, which includes everything needed to make reference pages a value-added business service.
Bottom line: No one should put references on the back burner. They are a powerful part of career management and need to be valued, taken out and dusted off, kept up to date, and utilized to ensure they maintain their ongoing return on investment into the future.
About CDI:
CDI is a global membership organization that positions career and resume professionals for dynamic success as both practitioners and business owners. CDI is focused on championing the industry's cause for credibility and visibility; fostering exceptional success in every generation of career and resume professionals; and cultivating the career superhero that exists within each one of us.
Laura DeCarlo, Career Directors International, http://www.careerdirectors.com, +1 321-752-0442, [email protected]
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