exercise 7.4 Who Knows What You Can Do?

When we think of references for employment purposes, most of us start with people we know. We then assume that these people can comment on our skills, knowledge, and work habits. For this exercise, however, you will reverse the process and look at your skills, knowledge, and work habits first.

• 1. In Part A below, brainstorm three possible references.
• 2. In Part B, list three jobs and some of the key skills, knowledge, and work habits that are important qualifications in these jobs.
• 3. In Part C, list people you know who can best describe your abilities in these areas.
• 4. Are the people on each list in Part C the same? Are these lists the same as your initial list in Part A? If not, does it make sense to have a flexible list of references based on the particular job in question?