References Without Work

by Paul W. Barada

Monster Salary and Negotiation Expert

You've just tossed your mortarboard into the air and have that long-coveted diploma in hand. You're ready to take on the world.

But you've lined up some job interviews, and the first recruiter you meet wants references. You've spent the last 16 to 18 years in school and never really had a job. What do you do?

This is common among recent college graduates. Although many college students work in the summer or part-time during the school year, many others don't. Or if they worked, their jobs may not have related to their fields of study. So what's a newly degreed job seeker with little real work experience supposed to do when asked for references?

What Potential Employers Want to Know

First, it's important to understand what recruiters are looking for when recruiting for entry-level positions. They want to be able to evaluate a job seeker's job performance potential, not his past job performance.

Whatever the industry, most entry-level jobs require many of the same qualities and skill sets, including interpersonal, problem-solving and leadership skills and the ability to work effectively with others. Unless it's terrible, a student's GPA isn't the primary consideration. Being able to communicate effectively, express thoughts logically and think on your feet is more important to recruiters than being on the dean's list.

Recruiters also look for involvement in campus activities. I've been told countless times that, all other things being equal, a recruiter will always offer the job to the student who has been involved in a variety of campus activities over the student who just went back and forth to class for four years. Why? Because being involved suggests the ability to manage one's time more effectively. Holding a position in a club or organization also suggests leadership ability and communication skills.

Choosing Your References

If you've been a full-time student, what types of references can you give to prospective employers?

Choose two professors who are familiar with your work as a student. Pick those faculty members who are willing to discuss things like punctuality and absenteeism, and who can talk about your class participation and how you completed projects or class work on time. As a third reference, pick a faculty advisor or sponsor you've worked with on a campus project, someone who can talk about your organizational and leadership skills, ability to work with others and dependability.

If you were involved in any type of community service activity, from helping coach a sport at the local Boys' and Girls' Club to heading up a fund-raiser for some worthwhile cause, use someone from the community with whom you worked as a reference. The point is, if you were involved at all -- in class, on campus or in the community -- the basic qualities most employers are looking for will show through.

If you've had a summer job or worked during the school year, ask someone you worked closely with to be a reference for you. And it doesn't matter whether the job had anything to do with your field of study, because those same basic qualities already mentioned will be the focus of most recruiters' inquiries. While it would be unfair to say recruiters never try to match the degree to the job, it is far from being a hard and fast rule.

Providing references to recruiters can easily be done, even if you've never had a job in the literal sense. Just line up professors, advisors, coaches, counselors or community members who know you well enough to comment, not so much on your past job performance as on your future job performance potential.

© 2008 MonsterTRAK