Before, during, and after the college journey (particularly if you have a graduate school or post-school education to complete) there are many, many, many applications to complete for various reasons (e.g. job, school). I don’t know about you but every time I complete one I have to devote time to locating all the contact information, credentials, and additional information for each of my references. It took me far to long to come up with a solution, but I found one that works for me and I share it in the hopes that I will save you time.
A Blank Word Document
It begins with a simple, blank word document. Title it as “references” and save it to an easy place on your computer. Every time someone says “you can use me as a reference,” or you ask someone and they agree, copy and paste all of their information into the word document. What information should you include? I’m glad you asked…
Information to Include
This can be as simple or as detailed as your field (or the purpose of the reference) requires. For instance, I have some personal and pastoral references. In general, these are as simple as their contact information. But when I use a speech-language pathologist as a professional reference, I also need to include their state licensure number.
Here is a list of some general reference information to get you started:
- Full name (double check the spelling!)
- Name of employer (keep current)
- Address (typically only professional)
- Work and/or personal phone number (always ask before using a personal phone number)
- Email (once again, double check the spelling)
- Dates they supervised you
This Does Not Replace Permission
Always remember that just because someone said they would be your reference four years ago when you were a college freshman does not mean you can hand out their information to anyone and everyone years down the road. It is not that they do not still want to be a reference, but it is courteous to check back in and make sure you still have their permission.
Hope that was helpful. Maybe it will save you some time in the future. 🙂