So you’re on the verge of giving your resignation. The news of this will hit your manager like a freight train. You really don’t know how your manager will take it, and you want to ensure that you still obtain optimal references.

The Obvious

The last few weeks are very likely to be a large chunk of how you will be remembered; do not, under any circumstances, slack off. You will know when you are on your way out from a job, so you must absolutely maintain your productivity, even when you are interviewing elsewhere and are asking yourself, “what is the point?”. Be helpful, punctual, cordial and polite. I am not saying that you need to  pull 60 hour weeks (although some still will). Rather, you should put in the work that will justify your paycheque. Tidy up your desk and whatever tools/documents you use.  When it comes time to resign, suggest who can take over your projects/assignments. Hand over the neatly organized tools. Your manager will appreciate your professionalism in this respect.

In case you still want to optimize other alternatives for references, here are a few ideas:

Gather tangible data pertaining to your work. Performance reviews are a very good source for this. Here, in black and white, the quality of your work will be detailed. If you work in an environment where performance is quantified (such as sales) print out a copy of the month your numbers were #2 company-wide (or, of course, the month when you were #1 ).

Choose a co-worker. Hopefully you will have a co-worker that you will have worked relatively close to over a certain period of time. Ask this person to be a reference as well. The fact that this person will have worked “in the trenches” with you and will have seen you under pressure, managing various priorities, makes them a good source for a reference (assuming you enjoy a good relationship). Be sure to have some form of contact with this person (at the very least a personal e-mail address) if you should leave the job before requiring the reference.

Use LinkedIn. LinkedIn is gaining popularity. Millions of business professionals worldwide are members. One of the features available on the site is “Recommendations”. Any one of your connections (colleague, client, former manager, etc) can post a recommendation on your page. Asking a satisfied client to recommend you is a good idea. You will need to ensure your LinkedIn recommendations are seen though; as such, put the link to your profile on your CV. While a certain number of prospective employers will Google you and come across it on their own, it never hurts to give a little push in the right direction.

These are only a few suggestions, as there are certainly a few others that may work as well. Feel free to share some of your ideas/experiences as well - maybe I will use your suggestion the next time a candidate asks me how to ensure they receive strong references.