Writing Reference

If you've been asked to write a reference letter for a friend, a former employee or even a student, you'll find there are good sample reference letters to follow and some really bad ones, too. The best sample reference letters follow some basic points that can make it very easy to draft a letter for a person you feel is worthy.

Before agreeing to write a reference letter for someone, remember, if you don't feel comfortable in writing the letter don't. If you have reservations about the person's abilities or skills, that will come through in your writing. In essence, this means your letter could actually do them more harm than good.

If you have decided to write a letter, however, follow the basics of a good sample reference letter can really help you through the process. Based on some of the best sample reference letters, a good draft will include:

• Your qualifications to be writing the reference letter. No good sample reference letter will allow you to get away from doing this. You need to explain your connection to the person, your personal background, and how long you've know the person you're writing the reference letter before. If you're a friend, say so. If you're a friend who happens to be a doctor or a judge or even a teacher, say that, too!
• Your impressions of the person. Be specific about the person's strengths and weaknesses they've maybe managed to overcome. Give details about how their strengths have helped you, them or even your company. The more descriptive you can be in your reference letter, the better.
• Reasons why you feel the person would be an asset to the company. All good sample reference letters explain these. It could be you feel the person is a real go-getter who is willing to learn anything he or she doesn't know. Or, maybe the person is highly qualified and has a drive to succeed that's second to none. Just make sure your reference letter explains the whys.
• Good sample reference letters will also ask you to extend yourself for further discussion about the person in question. This means giving your telephone number or e-mail address. If you really feel the person is worthy of your time, make sure you're available to answer questions a potential employer might have.

Writing a reference letter for a friend, employee or student can be a daunting task. You want the letter to help them in their pursuits, but you don't want it to sound so gushy that it appears as if they've paid you to write it. Take your time, review sample reference letters and make sure your letter is balanced and fair.

If you have any questions or concerns about the reference letter you've drafted, ask co-workers or friends to give the draft a once over. There might be things about the person you've overlooked that they can point out, too. A second set of eyes on a reference letter can really help, especially if the eyes belong to a person who knows the job candidate, as well.

In order to learn how to set up the format for a reference letter in the litigious culture of today, many important factors must be taken into consideration. If you approach it from the stand point that anything you write may end up in a court of law, you will write an excellent sample reference letter.

You have been asked to write a letter of reference letter for an employee. This person values your opinion, and you are glad to be of help. The problem is you are unsure how to go about writing a reference letter.

Reference letters are generally written for prospective employers, scholarship applications, and character reference. An effective reference letter will contain the following:

1. You must know enough about the person and their skills, abilities, and their character to write clearly and truthfully.

2. You should know whether your organization allows you to write a letter of reference. Some do not!

3. State your title, position, and any other pertinent information.

4. State the title of the person, position, primary responsibilities and professional associations. Also include dates of employment.

5. Use a business like but courteous and warm tone.

6. Do not make vague statements like such as he was respected among his coworkers. But rather say that James led the way in increasing production by 20% over the last year.

7. Describe certain instances where James really shined. You could mention that he stayed late to complete a critical project. Also that he worked diligently to help a customer make a product decision.

8. Say how James is a keen observer and that he knows how to make customers eventually buy. He stays with them every step of the way if they have questions. As you write, give a true, in depth knowledge of the type of person James is.

9. When completed, print five of these sample reference letters on company stationery and give them to James. This gives him additional letters for any other positions that he may apply for in the future. It saves you from having to write them again.

10. If you know it, put the address of the company to whom the letter is being sent, as well as the name of the person who will be collecting these reference letters. A personalized greeting is far better than a general To Whom It May Concern salutation.

11. Leave the address area blank in the other four copies, so that the employee can use them for other job opportunities that may arise.

If you are stuck on what to write, ask James to write a letter about himself in his own words. Use this letter to jog your memory or to give you starters if you get stuck. This is a great time saver if you are struggling to put the right words on paper.

Make sure the reference letter shows James how much you value him. It will help him feel more confident when he moves on to the next level.

Have you ever experienced writing a letter of reference and not knowing what to write? Has anyone approached you requesting a letter of reference and you felt you had to say no? Have you ever wondered how to write a letter of reference?

This letter is generally meant to help someone obtain employment. They are also used when applying for college. There are employers who would require this letter from their employees and regard this letter as a character reference. Often, the purpose for which a letter of reference is intended is huge. This is why it is important to learn how to write a letter of reference especially if you seem to have a lot of people requesting this letter from you.

In almost all cases, only people who know you will request this letter from you. You need not wonder how to write a letter of reference. It's easy but it's easier to write a letter if you are at least familiar with the person; otherwise, you wouldn't even know where you would begin. It is advisable to decline the request and promptly suggest that the person seek for it elsewhere. It is also not advisable to write a recommendation letter if you don't feel like creating one for a particular individual, although you may know of him or her. This kind of letter only works well if you know you can actually recommend the person.

Learning how to write a letter of reference is not that difficult. It doesn't even have to be wordy or long. You only need to explain how the person is related or known to you. Is he your neighbor? Is he a co-worker or a business acquaintance? Is he your student? You also need to put down how long you have known the person. This would determine how well you know the person. A letter of recommendation for someone you have known only known for two days is not really credible.

Aside from mentioning the length of time you have known the person, you also need to mention your shared experiences with the person if there are any. This would give the recipient of the letter a clue as to how trustworthy your claims and recommendations are.

Many people do not know how to write a letter of reference because they do not simply know what to say. Basically, you need to mention of three traits that the person requesting the letter possesses. Is the person honest? Is he dependable? Is he the kind of person that you would want to have on your team? What are his skills?

You need to carefully think of the things you have to say before you actually start writing the letter. Make a draft if necessary. Add an anecdote if you feel like it would help. Just make sure that the person will stand out.

Once you have learned how to write a letter of reference, you wouldn't have difficulty phrasing the words and sentences that will help the person achieve the purpose for which your letter is intended.

Without a doubt teaching jobs can be quite difficult to secure these days. Just go to any popular teaching forum or teacher discussion board and look at all the posts from teachers who are desperately trying to land a good teaching position.

Due to the fact that teaching jobs are so difficult to secure, teachers must do everything they can to stand out form the crowd.

One of the most important aspects of getting a teaching job is your teacher resume. What makes the teacher resume so important is that it is the first, and often times the only thing an administrator or teacher interview committee will see or hear about you. As the old saying goes...you only get one chance to make a first impression...

Therefore, you need to use your resume to make that first impression.

There are many features that make up a quality teacher resume, but this article is about one specific part of that resume...the references. Remember, just like anything else, a person is most likely going to remember the first and last thing they hear/see/read etc. The same holds true for your resume...to stand out you must open with a bang and close with a bang. Unfortunately, this is where many people miss the mark.

At the end of every resume is where the applicant should list their references. However, I am shocked at how many people still simply write "references available upon request". This is a huge mistake. Why make it difficult for your potential employer to seek out your references? Are you trying to hide something? Because that is exactly what "references available upon request" indicates.

What you should do instead is make sure you list your specific references at the bottom and make sure to provide their title/position, telephone number, and email address. Again, you want to make it as easy as possible for the interview committee to contact your references.

Another mistake people make is not listing enough references. All too often people will list only three references. Any qualified teacher should be able to get many, many references. Now, while you will not need to list them all, by listing 5-10 of them you are separating yourself from all the other teachers who only listed three, or worse, stated "references available upon request".

The bottom line is that you want your resume to say loud and clear "Go ahead, check my references...I encourage you do so!"

Again, your references are the last thing the reader will see when reading your resume. By ending with several references that are easy to contact, you are ending with a bang that will make your teacher resume stand out amongst all the others.

I have always enjoyed writing. Sometimes it's a problem for me to just sit down and write something. There are days when I choose "procrastination" over "proactive". Putting things off is common with everyone. I am very gifted in this area. ;)

Here are 4 areas to focus on to jumpstart your next writing session.

* Concentration

* Preparation

* The First Word

* Use your notebook

Concentration:

There are way too many distractions. Cell phones ringing, blaring car alarms and unexpected visitors are just a few things that can disrupt your concentration. It then becomes easier to justify not writing today.

The best thing to do to encourage creative writing is to make it a ritual. Find a nice spot to write, maybe, in a quiet room in your home where you will be left undisturbed for a period of time. Set a time to work; a scheduled time to write. Stick to it.

Keep reference books and materials close to hand.

Focus on one idea at a time.

View your next writing session as an opportunity; an opportunity to do something you enjoy. It can be fun. And when you are having fun nobody ever has to tell you to concentrate!

Preparation:

Once you have your topic: Google it. Read everything you can online and offline related to your idea. Search the net for testimonials, reviews and articles about your topic. Brainstorm related sub-topics.

Give it a rest. Let your subconscious mind percolate and play with the information you provided. Get some exercise. Some of my best ideas come to me while I am out walking around in the evening.

Getting Started: Where to begin? That blank page staring back can be intimidating.

Just dive right in there!

Type the word "The."

Type the next word (the first thing that pops into your mind) and the next word.

At this point, quality is not important. You just want to create a "flow" where the words come easily.

Don't stop to edit. Save all your corrections for the second draft. Resist the impulse to rewrite. That will only interrupt the flow and is another way to avoid the task at hand.

If you are like me you will have a 2nd, third and fourth draft. You have to get your first draft completed before your have anything to rewrite! Stay focused.

Carry a Notebook:

As a creative writer, you will be "hit" by odd ideas and notions in the oddest of places.

Maybe you are stuck in traffic or brushing your teeth when inspiration strikes.

You could wake from a dream and have a killer idea.

" I'll remember that." We say to ourselves, but when next we write there is no access to that memory file.

Just use a notebook. Jot those things down as they come to you. It only takes a moment.

Capture all your of your ideas as they transpire. Who knows? One of them may be the "Next Big Thing!"

After a successful job interview, the next thing that will probably happen before your employer fully decides to hire you is an employment reference check. People tend to think of such job reference checks as afterthoughts instead of the very important factors they are in a job application. Having the right job reference can make all the difference between you getting a job and someone else getting that job. For employers, getting value for their money is an important issue and they want to be sure that the person they are hiring is as good as they claim to be on their application.

These important tips should assist you when you are providing job references to a potential employer:

Sometimes You Don't Need a Reference Letter

Especially if it is an informal letter, potential employers aren't interested in your past and such letters do not have genuine credibility as they can be written by anyone. What employers need is a live and talking witness who can attest to your personality and whether you are suitable for the job you are seeking out, and they would preferably like someone they could easily reach on the phone.

Write References on a Separate Sheet

You should write your references on a separate sheet and not on your main resume. Only provide references when they are asked for, and you should have at least five references that can be easily contacted by the employer if needed. Sometimes when references aren't asked for in your application you may add the line "references available upon request" so that they know you have a list of potential references on standby.

Choose References Wisely

Don't choose someone as a reference simply because their title and job description looks good on paper, and don't choose someone because they are a friend. The best people to have as references are former superiors who were responsible for your supervision and whom you reported to. These references will be quite aware of your strengths and weaknesses in order to highlight why you would be the best possible choice for the job as far as your employers are concerned. However, if you are fresh out of college, getting up to five references in terms of work may be a serious problem so you can go ahead and contact co-students, your professors in college or other acquaintances you may have met by virtue of your brief work experience.

Get Approval First

You don't simply go and list someone as a reference without asking whether they are comfortable first. What if the employer contacts your reference and catches them unaware? It will not seem professional to an employer, and neither will your reference be able to provide a comprehensive answer to the questions of why the employer would want to hire you.

Provide Contact Information That is Current

The information which you provide about your reference should be current and up-to-date. The current nature of this information should include everything from the job description to the contact information entailing the e-mail address as well as the phone numbers.

Print your CV on decent paper. Don't go overboard with watermarked or decorated paper, but don't print it on scrap paper with failed print-outs on the reverse. This document represents you.

Keep it simple. Employers don't want to see colourful titles, text or images, the information should be presented as clearly as possible with headers to distinguish the different sections. Think of it as a business document. You don't want your clients to think you spend all day making colourful titles or adding clip art. Your focus should be on the content itself.

Proof read your CV yourself. Computer spellcheckers are not as good as a brain and a dictionary. Particularly if the job you are applying for requires communication skills, you should ensure your CV is grammatically as good as it can be, as this is the first piece of work your potential employers will be judging you on.

Contact details

There is a certain amount of information which CVs should contain :

- Name
- Address
- Phone number & email address

Think twice before including any sort of networking website URL (such as your Facebook or Bebo profile), as you should be fully prepared for employers to look at all the information provided on your page when assessing whether you are the right person for the job. Even if you are careful about what you put on your page, what if a friend posts a message about a crack smoking weekend or a fight you were involved in?

Personal profile

It is a good idea to have some sort of personal profile at the top of your CV. Don't go into too much depth or explanation but you should summarise your skillset and experience, maybe even with an idea of what you want to do next (make sure it is in line with the job description you are applying for).

Skills, Employment & Education

There's no mathematical equation to writing the perfect CV. Many people will offer you set ways of doing things but your CV should be uniquely tailored both to you and the job you are applying for. Things which you might include on a CV for certain job applications would be a waste of space on another. The best idea is to read the job description and custom-build your CV to match the specification.

You should include a list of skills you possess, but whether this should be a list of skills with descriptions or a list of jobs or qualifications with a skills breakdown is your choice. Many people format their CVs with Education and Employment sections with descriptions of the different roles, duties, skills and responsibilities held.

Sometimes to list your employment and education is missing out a lot of your more important accomplishments. Let's say you organised a cake sale for charity, or a school newsletter - Education or Employment? It doesn't fit into either category neatly but clearly displays you are a motivated and organised person - Sometimes exactly the qualities employers are seeking. Consider an 'Accomplishments' or 'Achievements' section for any activities you have taken part in which show you in a good light. Remember to relate everything to individual skills; teamwork, organisation, responsibility etc.

Other CVs will have a more general list of skills (Communication, IT, Organisation, Teamwork, Customer service...) with reference to certain jobs, education or experiences contained elsewhere on the CV.

Even if you decide to have a less formal skills list, you should still list all your academic attainment and at least your last 2 years of employment with dates so potential employers can see how you have spent your time. Often graduates who do not find jobs immediately after education can have trouble finding a job because employers can see by their CV that they haven't worked since they graduated. If you have gaps of months or years on your CV be prepared to be asked about them. You can talk about spending time with family, volunteering for philanthropic causes or helping someone start their own business. Employers expect applicants to be slightly creative with the truth on CVs, but be prepared to be quizzed on your volunteer work or business start-up.

Interests & Hobbies

Many people put a 'Hobbies' or 'Interests' section toward the end of their CV. This is not the opportunity to tell your employer how much you like to pick your nose or watch television. Employers will either be looking for interests relevant to the job (for example being interested by the media for a PR job) or interests which show you to be a rounded, popular person (meaning you will probably fit in well to the working environment).

References

References are important, but are often excluded from a CV to save space. If you are going to miss out references to make room for your skills, employment and education it is good idea to just write "References available upon request". Employers will want a reference who has known you in a professional or academic context, preferably someone in a position of power and/or responsibility.

Marketing is important for all writers who hope to sell their work—whether that means books or articles or writing skills. I used to work for a book publishing company, and for several months I was in charge of marketing my boss's book. It was a writing reference book, actually, and although I had no idea what I was doing when I took over the project, I learned fast and had a lot of fun doing it.

 

Now that I'm in business for myself—and I need to make a living from my writing—I am constantly marketing. It's just one of those things that we have to do. And it's one of those things every writer should consider whenever he or she is thinking about writing a book. How are you going to reach your market and sell books?

 

Book Marketing 101

Marketing means, essentially, letting people know what you have and what you can do for them—reaching the market. And there's a million ways to do it, the key is to know what you hope to accomplish and don't let up until you get it.

 

So, why is marketing so important when you write a book? Because you want the book to sell, right? If you don't let any potential readers know about your book, no one will know to buy it. Understand now—before you even start writing your book—that you will be responsible for marketing it and you should have some ideas of what you plan to do.

 

Does Selling Feel . . . Weird?

Yes, kind of, but that feeling goes away. Writers don't always like the idea of selling their work because we're not all natural salespeople. Most of us would rather write and let someone else handle the marketing (and that's an option for those who can afford to hire help). Unfortunately, no matter what anyone says, marketing involves selling. Although you're not soliciting people door-to-door, the ultimate goal is to sell books. But you've got to put yourself out there, and if you want to make money as a writer, then you have to take a business-minded approach.

 

Writing Your Marketing Plan

A marketing plan can include a number of things. Most marketing plans include both online (such as building a web site or blog, sending an e-zine, and article marketing) and offline (such as speaking events, workshops, readings, and book signings) strategies at their foundation. It also helps to constantly seek new opportunities by sending press releases to media outlets, publishing articles and/or selections from your book in print publications, advertising, and interviews and other publicity campaigns.

 

For new ideas to include in your marketing plan, check out Guerrilla Marketing for Writers by Jay Conrad Levinson, Rick Frishman, and Michael Larsen, and 1,001 Ways to Market Your Books by John Kremer.

 

Selling Those Books Now and in the Future

Sure, marketing may seem like a hassle. But it can be fun—and once those book orders start rolling in, you'll see the value in every marketing effort you make.

Services of content writing in India are considered as a useful SEO and online marketing tool, not only in India but all across the globe. Content writing refers to writing a piece of information either to inform the readers about a topic or to attract the target audience and sell the products and services offered by a business, directly or indirectly.

Website content writing in India is not the same as writing for other mediums. In order to derive the desired results, there are certain rules that need to be followed by the website content writers.

In order to write good and effective website writing and travel writing in India, content writers need to follow the below mentioned guidelines:

• Write keeping the target audience in mind. In order to attract and captivate the attention of the target audience, it is essential to keep them in mind while drafting the content for any website. While writing content, the writer should not only satisfy himself/herself, but focus on satisfying the readers. A writer should always use crisp and simple language so that most of the target audience easily understands the content.

• Understanding the needs of the potential clients. A person involved with content writing in India should firstly understand the needs and requirements of the target audience and then draft content very carefully. The motives of a writer are already half achieved if he/she is able to understand the needs of the target audience. If the writers fail to understand the needs of their potential readers, they won't be able to create useful and interesting content.

• Understand the products and services before writing about them. In order to create informative and persuasive content, it is important that the writer first understands the products and services thoroughly and then writes about them. For this, the writers need to do detailed research and collect significant details and information for the readers.

• Website content writing in India needs to be persuasive. Businesses generally hire the content writing services because they want to reach out to their potential clients and use content as a medium for selling the products and services to the potential customers. To fulfill this motive, it is essential for content writers to create persuasive content.

• Check the content for spelling and grammatical errors. To make the content error free and readable, a writer should always do a spell and grammar checks of the created content.

No matter whether a writer is involved with general content writing or travel copywriting in India, following the above mentioned guidelines will help them to achieve the desired results and fulfill the quests of the readers.

Most article directories accept only quality articles written by experts in their field. Actually, that's a little inaccurate. A more accurate of putting it is that most directories will accept any article that contains useful or valuable information, whether it's written by an expert or not. So you may be an expert in your field but you can always engage someone else to write for you and the articles will still be accepted. But if you want to save a little bit of time or money, you may want to write the articles yourself. Here's how you can write fast.

Plan your topics before sitting down at a writing session. Come up with a list of interesting titles to write about. If you want to write twenty articles, come up with more than twenty articles, and when it comes to writing, you can always ditch some titles that you don't want to write about. Just write down anything that comes to your head at this point and don't worry about not knowing enough about the topic and stuff like that. That will come later.

Once you have your list of titles ready, reword them so that they appear interesting to the reader. Over 90% of readers online scan titles become making a decision whether they want to read the articles or not. Be as specific as you can. Say something like "The Seven Steps to Creating Your Own Product", instead of "Product Creation Tips". The more related the title is to the reader's concern, the more likely they will read the entire article.

Block out a few hours each day in your personal planner for writing. These blocks of time are for writing, and for writing only. Don't use them for anything else. Find a conducive environment where you can write in peace, and don't let anything else distract you. This is the time where you need to let your creative juices flow.

When you sit down to write, refer to your title list and pick the one that you already have ideas about. Don't spend time getting stuck on a topic that you know little about and have very little to write about. Whatever comes to your head, write it down. The goal here is not to come up with the perfect article, but to come up with some content of decent length - say about four to five hundred words. That should take you no more than ten minutes to accomplish unless you type really slow.

Have a specific template to guide you as you write. For instance, your template can be something like having an introduction, stating your point, having a couple of examples, and finally ending with a conclusion. This makes your writing flows like water and you don't have to spend time thinking about what to write next.

Finally, when you're done, spending the next two to three minutes going through your article for any glaring mistakes that your word processor may have missed. Word processors may detect grammar or spelling errors but they'll not detect erroneous sentence structures.

All in all, it should take no more than fifteen minutes to complete an article if you follow the steps outlined above. Remember not to spend too much time on the last step, polishing your article. When it's done, it's done. Put it down, and quickly move on to the next article. That's how you get more done with less time.

Case report writing is a research of an unregistered earlier issue. It is usually used in the medical sphere. By writing a case report you communicate information received while doing thorough researches. Good report writing can be even published in medical journals. A lot of experts give a similar advice on writing a report: be always ready. An opportunity for writing a report can pop up unexpectedly. The sooner you start writing, the better it results on your career.
As soon as an appropriate topic for report writing is found, start researching it. First of all, consult with people that are experienced in case report writing. If you have never had experience in recording unusual cases, they can help you with report writing. Also, check with appropriate literature sources. You have to know for sure that the case you are to write about is truly an opening. But even if the topic has already been introduced, there is still a way out. The issue has to be rare. In this case you can add something new to previously completed researches. A senior doctor's help is a must from the beginning. He or she may know from their experience what case report writings are suitable for publication.
There is one more important advice on writing a report. Before starting, ask for permission from a patient that you are observing. Now that all the intro questions for report writing are settled, begin working on it.
Start looking for the items needed for case report writing. Use the patient's notes to record the details of all the events in the patient's care—that is, history, examination findings, results of investigations with dates, and operative findings, if any, together with the details of the actual intervention and follow ups. Get copies—do not take the originals. This avoids many potential problems and saves a lot of time.
Case report writing has to include a lot of details. The typical form of it looks like this:
1. Case report writing. The Introduction.
Follow the rule of brevity. State the issue of your report writing, and its significance. You can also cite some articles that have already paid attention to this problem.
2. Case report writing. The Case Report itself.
In this part show yourself as a writer. Your reader has to be interested in your report writing. But he also needs detailed information. Leave out everything unnecessary. The case description in report writing is usually told in chronological order. Provide the results of the relevant examinations and laboratory tests, usually only those with positive results.
3. Case report writing. The Discussion.
Eliminate inaccuracies and omissions. When writing a case report, give facts. Provide your reader with background material. The more quotes you use in report writing, the better. People tend to believe prominent researchers. Finally, by writing a case report you should be able to determine a cause of the issue.
3. Case report writing. The Conclusion.
Conclusion is not essential for case report writing. But if you do want to include it, summarize your report writing in a couple of sentences. All the important things are already mentioned.
4. Case report writing. References.
The references should be in the form of numbers as you go along you report writing.
This is a standard form of case report writing. If you did a good job, your case can attract attention of the editors. And then you can get published, become rich and famous, and…

You're changing jobs. You know you'll need references for your next career move. You've done a great job so you shouldn't worry about getting a reference - right?

Wrong.

References can sabotage even the most sophisticated, well-executed job search. Sometimes you can lose an opportunity when your reference thinks he's helping you out 100%.

Here are 5 ways to make your references work for you, not against you.

(1)Skip the 'To Whom It May Concern' letters.

Clients often tell me their well-meaning bosses offered to write a 'To Whom It May Concern' letter on your behalf. These letters used to be common 20 or 30 years ago.

Today, corporate employers rarely pay attention to these letters. In fact, often hiring managers will be skeptical about any written correspondence.

Let's face it: employers tend to be conscious of lawsuits. They prefer phone calls that are not recorded. When they need a letter, they supply their own forms and they prefer letters sent directly to them.

You will find exceptions in some industries. For example, university professors and administrators typically submit three letters of reference with each application. Often these references will be mailed directly to the hiring department.

(2) Research the way your present boss answers a request: "Can you supply a reference for John?"

Ask fellow employees about their experiences. You might even get a friend to call on your behalf or hire a reference checking service. Expect surprises.

Some well-meaning managers avoid giving anyone a glowing recommendation. 'Nobody is that great,' they say. 'I want to be honest.'

But of course everybody else exaggerates and your reference's well-intended honesty will place you at a disadvantage.

Other references are just clueless. My colleague 'Nick' genuinely wanted me to get a great opportunity when he wrote a letter for me. But he added a line suggesting I might be 'somewhat eccentric.' I was applying for administrative positions in universities, which tend to be fairly conservative.

I had no idea what was going on and wondered why I wasn't getting more invitations to interview. One day an interview committee member asked me, 'What on earth does he mean?'

'We are friends,' I said, truthfully, and reached for the phone.

Nick was completely baffled ('I meant it as a compliment') but he agreed to revise his letters so I would sound like the well qualified, experienced, and highly professional candidate I was.

(2) Before supplying names, get permission (and be sure they are still available).

You come to the moment of truth in your job search. Your future boss says, 'I am impressed with what I've seen. May I call a few references?'

To prepare for this moment, get permission to give out names. And take the extra step: Find out what happens next.

Your boss may be required to refer all calls to Human Resources. Or she may be moving to a new career and you are part of the past she wants to forget.

When I taught at a university, students often asked if they could list me as a reference for jobs and graduate programs. But sometimes I would get a surprise request from someone I barely remembered, creating awkward moments for all of us.

After I left the university, I was not always available to serve as a reference. While traveling or moving, I couldn't respond to requests, even when I wanted to. If I'd known my name would be brought up as a reference, I would have warned the students and encouraged them to find alternatives.

(3) Watch for red flags in the hiring process.

If your job prospects get derailed mysteriously, over and over again, consider hiring a professional service to check your references. The service will handle your request professionally and (if you've chosen wisely) ethically. They'll call to say, "I'm checking references on Tim Toole."

A quality service will not pretend to be an employer. They don't have to. You'd be amazed how managers will respond to a simple request for a reference.

One reference-checking consultant told me, "The manager who answered the phone said, 'Just a minute.' Then, without covering the mouthpiece, he yelled, 'What did the lawyers tell us to say about Tim?'"

And that's how one job seeker solved the mystery of Who Killed Tim's Career Change.

(4) Remember: the world looks different on the other side of the desk.

By the time you've gained some seniority in your field, you're probably familiar with standard hiring processes. But when you need to change careers, you may be surprised to discover some recent changes, as well as some unspoken rules.

Your industry may be dominated by a club of insiders. You may never be asked for references: your future boss just calls someone he knows until he reaches a friend of a friend.

Or your field may be very structured, with all references checked minutely by a human resources department, even if you're quite senior.

It's important to understand common practice because any deviation should be viewed as a red flag. You may not turn a job down but you need to dig deeper before accepting a position in a company that comes across as "different."

(5) Be proactive.

Let's face it: writing reference letters adds hassle to somebody's day, especially when your reference is not familiar with your target market. If appropriate, offer to follow up or draft a list of key points to emphasize in the letter.

Take charge of your references and manage the process. Nobody else will care more than you do.