Making the most of References on XING

It is two days since we launched the new References feature on our platform. In doing so we have fulfilled a direct feature request from a great deal of members and created a valuable additional networking tool that helps vouch for the quality of your work.

As a Premium Member, you can display references to other members in your profile and receive recommendations from any XING member, whether Premium or basic. So how is the best way to make the most of your references on XING?

Utilizing the right references for maximum benefit

Even more so that with contacts, quality over quantity and informative value over empty phrases is crucial when managing your references. Letters of recommendation are not designed to be collected, but rather act as verification of your skills and strengths in your profile. You should take a moment here to think about who would fulfill this role best and how you would most like to be portrayed.

One rule of thumb is: Clients are the most “powerful” references for you, followed by your managers or superiors and possibly also external project partners. References from “normal” colleagues are certainly a nice gesture, but may well carry less weight for a recruiter. There are of course exceptions to this rule, e.g. a former colleague with a particularly good reputation in the industry, or a reference that relates to a particular past project you wish to highlight.

When asking for a reference, send a private message too and outline what you’d most like to attain with the reference. Maybe you’d like to promote your software expertise or a particularly ingenious idea you had? Ask the referee to mention this! The referee doesn’t have to stick to this, but more often than not they are grateful for this input and guidance.

And the other way around, when you give a reference, you should at least write a short, succinct text. Place yourself in the shoes of a potential client or employer and then write what you most like to read about yourself.

You can activate or delete all references you receive as you wish. Think here about how your profile works as a whole and make sure you end up with a limited and fine selection of personal recommendations.