What makes a good reference?

chockiethief

Hi all,
I am particularly looking for opinions from people involved in recruitment of staff - HR/managers etc, but of course all opinions are welcome.

I am being made redundant and as part of my redundancy package I will get an agreed reference. My manager has suggested that I would write it and he'd just agree it.
I've never been involved in recruitment, I have no idea what a good reference looks like. I don't want to undersell myself or have a reference that makes me look too good to be true and therefore raises a red flag to a potential employer.

So, what do you look for in a reference?

skintpaul

Keep it fact based, but positive!

Dates employed from / to ? (month/year should be ok)
Last / any previous postions ?
Final salary? bonuses?
Achievements?
Good time keeping? if no skiving, say so!

74jax

I frequently write references and request them.

What is in a reference would never sway me to one person. Usually the job had been offered on interview.

I ask for dates of employment, positions held, salary on leaving.

Paully232000

I suppose it depends on what usually happens in an interview process for your area.
In my area of work references are always taken up after a decision has been made as I have found out from the person giving the reference when it has been requested.

I guess in my/that situation then as long as it doesn't say anything negative you are going to be fine, and is more for a reason not to continue with the offer of a job than the other way around.

robatwork

I would end the reference with:

"Would you re-employ chockietheif?"
A: "Without hesitiation"

Undervalued

chockiethief wrote: »

Hi all,
I am particularly looking for opinions from people involved in recruitment of staff - HR/managers etc, but of course all opinions are welcome.

I am being made redundant and as part of my redundancy package I will get an agreed reference. My manager has suggested that I would write it and he'd just agree it.
I've never been involved in recruitment, I have no idea what a good reference looks like. I don't want to undersell myself or have a reference that makes me look too good to be true and therefore raises a red flag to a potential employer.

So, what do you look for in a reference?

Don't overdo it!

Unless long, essay like glowing references are the norm in your particular line of work (and that would be quite rare), keep it simple and factual.

If you overdo the glowing praise it tends to look like there has been a compromise / settlement agreement where an employer has been obliged to agree to put their name to something in order to settle a potential legal dispute. That can then (often unfairly) be interpreted as "trouble maker" by a potential employer.