When it comes to references, is it best to come armed with a letter or contact number? It certainly doesn’t hurt to be prepared with both written and verbal references.

Things to consider

 

 

PROS

CONS

Written References

-Letters are less time and effort
for a potential employer to skim through

-A job seeker can slant the letter
to be all positive

-Letters look professional with
polished grammar and spelling

-You have a hard copy to keep on
file

 

-Letters make it easy to fabricate
or embellish information

-Letters are not always timely

-Letters are usually generic with
“To Whom it May Concern”

Verbal References

-A potential employer can probe
more over the phone, asking about strengths and weaknesses

-A potential employer can focus
questions to a specific position or industry

-It’s less time and effort for a
reference to take a call

 

-A reference may be a poor speaker
with mediocre responses and awkward silences

-A reference may have a different
personality than a former employee, offering a less-than-flattering character
review 

Remember: Companies invest their time, money, and reputation in you—if you become an employee. For this reason, they want to ensure you’re the real thing. So go above and beyond to WOW them!

Ask the Experts

We asked the experts what they prefer:

Written or verbal references.

“Written references are acceptable for positions that are more than 5 years in the past. For more recent positions, a written reference from the candidate’s direct supervisor is acceptable, especially if they can be contacted for additional information. With the new Privacy legislation, detailed references are harder to come by, as a result, I believe we will be relying more and more on written references as a means of evaluating candidates.”

–Kate Laing, Human Resources
Manager, Pacrim Hospitality Services, Inc.

“Both. We would like written references and we’ll call and confirm how well they performed their job, how long they stayed, their level of responsibility…”

-Tracey Kalimeris, Corporate
Recruiter and HR Planner, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts

“I would prefer verbal references. I like to be able to ask follow-up questions if something the
reference says sparks my interest. But, written will also work if you are unable to contact the verbal ones.

-Jason Lessman, Manager of Corporate Recruiting, Boston
Market Corporation

“Honestly, we do not find written or verbal references to be very valuable. I have yet to find someone who was unable to give me references. The best reference we can get is a phone call
from your last employer. I have even had a past manager call me before I could make the call. It says something to a potential employer when a past manager feels so committed to you that they are willing to personally call another employer and speak on your behalf.”

-Randy Goldberg, Executive Director
Recruiting, Hyatt Hotels Corporation