Managing Your References

Just when you believe you have the position in the bag, weak and uninformed references can hurt your candidacy

When Vaughn Peters was laid off from his executive job with a $250 million New York City publishing company, he knew he’d need professional references to land his next position.  While many people put off reference selection until the last minute, Mr. Peters (not his real name) immediately telephoned the three people who best knew his work.  He described his unemployment as having “decided to leave because I was no longer challenged.”

Demonstrating Your Value to Potential Employers

What hiring managers perceive your worth to be depends on whether they believe you can fulfill their needs

By Peter J. Leets and William L. Ricci

When a financial executive’s 23-year career with a large Southern California toy manufacturer ended abruptly after a reorganization, he immediately launched a Job-search campaign. But despite his energy and motivation, he was having little luck. After several months, the executive realized his mistake: He had been approaching employers as though he deserved to be hired—as though his needs had to be filled before he would consider a position.