So, I know I go on and on and on and on and on about references, but I finally have a nice thing to say about them. You know that you have picked a good person to be your reference, when they ask you about your deadlines, ask about getting a copy of your resume, ask about the requirements, and ask to meet you in person to make sure the formatting is all right. One of my references this year is going to be a professor that I absolutely loved having. He taught my adolescent literacy class for my education minor and he does a lot of work with improving literacy education in the northeastern US. Basically, he is awesome. He is really nice, really smart, and a really good teacher. And he thinks I am a decent fit for the JET Program and is more than happy to help me out by writing a reference letter for me! I am super excited XD
In other news, there are more people on the forums almost every day ^_^ And the Miami coordinator is back and helping us with good advice and we have the LA coordinator this year too! It's great to see that there are so many people willing to take time to help us applicants out, even this early on.
Showing posts with label References. Show all posts
Showing posts with label References. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Does Anybody Think That I Am Crazy Obsessed with References Yet?
I swear that my letters of reference are going to be the death of me. I am going to have an aneurysm, an ulcer, something. I asked two people to write me references back in May/June and now it is time to remind them and ask again. This morning I emailed the two people that agreed to write me a reference before, plus one more possible reference. I am hoping to have a fair amount of things in my hand and ready to go before the application comes out. If I get references from all three of these people, then I have options and I get to choose who I think knows me best and can represent that to JET for me...
Anyways, I know that it is almost time for more applicants to start coming out of the woodwork and so I will be seeing more questions that I can address and find answers for. Yesterday (I think), a guy posted on the fb group and ended up asking about references. There are important things to remember, like answering the questions JET posts and showing you at your best. You definitely need to choose someone that knows you as a learner, an educator, and as a person, if you have someone that really knows you well in all three ways. It is also important to pick someone that is going to look professional and make you look professional (as in, don't end up like I did last year with my manager failing to read the directions and do any of it right). Lastly, ask more than two people; ask all the people that you think will give you a good reference. If you get more than two, you can choose which will be best and you won't be sitting there thinking that you only asked two and one of those hasn't gotten back to you and the deadline is fast approaching. So, too much is better than not enough, in this case. Also, ask now, so they have time if they need it.
Anyways, I know that it is almost time for more applicants to start coming out of the woodwork and so I will be seeing more questions that I can address and find answers for. Yesterday (I think), a guy posted on the fb group and ended up asking about references. There are important things to remember, like answering the questions JET posts and showing you at your best. You definitely need to choose someone that knows you as a learner, an educator, and as a person, if you have someone that really knows you well in all three ways. It is also important to pick someone that is going to look professional and make you look professional (as in, don't end up like I did last year with my manager failing to read the directions and do any of it right). Lastly, ask more than two people; ask all the people that you think will give you a good reference. If you get more than two, you can choose which will be best and you won't be sitting there thinking that you only asked two and one of those hasn't gotten back to you and the deadline is fast approaching. So, too much is better than not enough, in this case. Also, ask now, so they have time if they need it.
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Reference Stuff!
I know, my blog is kind of boring if JET is not the only thing that you ever want to read about. But, I shall continue beating this info into myself and eventually I'll be flawless (yeah, I like to think that). Eight small tips in choosing references for success
1) Ask early. Remind often (starting in September, unless other stuff may get in the way)
2) Explain the LoR requirements clearly. Bullet points, discuss, something, just make sure they know what they need to do.
3) Ask someone who knows you well, someone that will really put out there all the things that make you a great candidate and can show how much you really want this.
4) Ask someone who will be as professional as you want to be. A really bad reference reflects back on you because that is the person you asked, they are helping to represent you. (As in my fiasco thing, I had a sloppy reference and really regretted it)
5) If you are in school, a professor is required. If you are recently graduated, a professor can still look really good, especially if they know you well and have seen how well you work and how hard you work.
6) It isn't all about professional or official education, it could be a tutor or volunteer group, just make sure it represents you.
7) Ask more than two (tons of people on the forums mention this), just in case someone fails to get you the reference on time or whatever, the third option gives you a better chance at having everything you need.
8) Make sure you pick a reference that you won't think "I wish I could read that reference because I have no idea what it says or how good it is" after. Be sure that they represent you well, followed the directions, and wrote a real reference.
Just little notes ^_^ I know it's boring and some of it is pretty obvious, but my goal in this blog was to be clear and easy for everyone. We are walking through the process slowly XD
1) Ask early. Remind often (starting in September, unless other stuff may get in the way)
2) Explain the LoR requirements clearly. Bullet points, discuss, something, just make sure they know what they need to do.
3) Ask someone who knows you well, someone that will really put out there all the things that make you a great candidate and can show how much you really want this.
4) Ask someone who will be as professional as you want to be. A really bad reference reflects back on you because that is the person you asked, they are helping to represent you. (As in my fiasco thing, I had a sloppy reference and really regretted it)
5) If you are in school, a professor is required. If you are recently graduated, a professor can still look really good, especially if they know you well and have seen how well you work and how hard you work.
6) It isn't all about professional or official education, it could be a tutor or volunteer group, just make sure it represents you.
7) Ask more than two (tons of people on the forums mention this), just in case someone fails to get you the reference on time or whatever, the third option gives you a better chance at having everything you need.
8) Make sure you pick a reference that you won't think "I wish I could read that reference because I have no idea what it says or how good it is" after. Be sure that they represent you well, followed the directions, and wrote a real reference.
Just little notes ^_^ I know it's boring and some of it is pretty obvious, but my goal in this blog was to be clear and easy for everyone. We are walking through the process slowly XD
Saturday, May 12, 2012
The Reference Fiasco and How I'm Fixing It
So two posts in one day, I know it's a lot for no reason... But, I wanted that backstory-ish post first.
Now, I am applying again. This is my second time. Last time I applied, I had an incredibly weak reference as I mentioned last time. I had asked my department manager from Sears to write me a reference a month before the application was due. I gave her the directions the JET provided for me, my reference, and I summed it up in a note I gave to her with the form. When I went to get it, the reference was in a plain envelope, sealed, not signature and it looked wrinkly and ill-treated. I was concerned about the lack of a sealing signature, so I took it to the HR department to have it put in an official Sears envelope and signed by her. Instead, she opened the envelope and took out the letter. Unfortunately, I saw the "reference." It was about 6 lines long, tops, not on official letterhead, not in an official envelope, not signed and sealed, not anything that a reference should be. Despite my asking repeatedly, she did not get to me until a week before the application was due. So, I had no time to find a new reference.
To prevent this for my new application, I have already done a few things:
1) We need two references, so I started looking for two in my field.
2) I am in teaching, so I have asked a well-respected professor for a reference. He works in adolescent literacy around the North-East, in New York, Massachusetts, etc.
3) I have had the chance to do an education related internship at a writing center that I started in a high school. So, I asked my advising teacher for a reference relating to my actual work.
4) I have already asked both of these people for the references. I asked both of these people in April and got a response that they will write me a reference. I now just need to give them the form when it comes to the appropriate time.
When the fall comes and it is time to apply and the forms become available, I will get my reference as early as possible to make sure everything is done correctly. This was probably one of the most stressful parts of applying because it felt the most out of my hands. I could not force my references to write them, I could not make time for them to write them, all I could do was wait and ask them about them. But, I am already better prepared than I was last time.
Now, I am applying again. This is my second time. Last time I applied, I had an incredibly weak reference as I mentioned last time. I had asked my department manager from Sears to write me a reference a month before the application was due. I gave her the directions the JET provided for me, my reference, and I summed it up in a note I gave to her with the form. When I went to get it, the reference was in a plain envelope, sealed, not signature and it looked wrinkly and ill-treated. I was concerned about the lack of a sealing signature, so I took it to the HR department to have it put in an official Sears envelope and signed by her. Instead, she opened the envelope and took out the letter. Unfortunately, I saw the "reference." It was about 6 lines long, tops, not on official letterhead, not in an official envelope, not signed and sealed, not anything that a reference should be. Despite my asking repeatedly, she did not get to me until a week before the application was due. So, I had no time to find a new reference.
To prevent this for my new application, I have already done a few things:
1) We need two references, so I started looking for two in my field.
2) I am in teaching, so I have asked a well-respected professor for a reference. He works in adolescent literacy around the North-East, in New York, Massachusetts, etc.
3) I have had the chance to do an education related internship at a writing center that I started in a high school. So, I asked my advising teacher for a reference relating to my actual work.
4) I have already asked both of these people for the references. I asked both of these people in April and got a response that they will write me a reference. I now just need to give them the form when it comes to the appropriate time.
When the fall comes and it is time to apply and the forms become available, I will get my reference as early as possible to make sure everything is done correctly. This was probably one of the most stressful parts of applying because it felt the most out of my hands. I could not force my references to write them, I could not make time for them to write them, all I could do was wait and ask them about them. But, I am already better prepared than I was last time.
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