Applications, Part 4: Your References

A vital part of the application process is having written references from people we can contact to ensure you have a good work and/or study ethic and meet the strict criteria to achieve and succeed in this industry.

Why we ask for a written reference, more than a verbal reference, is a written one can be verified.  It relies on someone sitting down, thinking about you and your performance in whatever areas they have witnessed you in, and putting that information down on a piece of paper.  This gives the referee the opportunity to think about what they want to say (which is a lot nicer than putting someone “on the spot” so to speak) and give a well-thought-out image of you.

Just to clarify, a referee in this instance is the person writing the letter, i.e. the one who provides the reference.

What do we look for in a reference?

• Honesty.
• Information about you.  What type of person are you? How well do you achieve at things?
• The letter should be “meaty”, i.e. shouldn’t be a few lines telling us essentially nothing.
• A letterhead if the reference is “officially” from a school, business or organisation.
• Date of the reference
• Your name (first name and surname) should be mentioned at least one time in the reference
• The referee’s name (first name and surname), position (if available), and contact details (i.e. address if not supplied on the letterhead, contact telephone number(s) and contact email address)
• The referee should sign the reference.

We do accept email references, but we do need the full contact details of the referee so we can contact them directly to verify it.  We highly prefer written references over email references.

Also while we accept 1 written reference as a minimum, we do prefer between 2 and 3 written references to give us a better picture of you.

As always, if you have any further questions or would like further information on this or any part of the application process, please feel free to contact the office, and we will be more than happy to assist you as best as we can.

Scott Fack is the Director of Operations for The National School of Aesthetics, the South Island’s leading beauty therapy, nail technology and spa therapies training provider.