Employee testimonials are often underused in the early stages of looking for a new job, yet they have the potential to make your CV stand out from the crowd, when looking for work.
This post will show you how to effectively use employee testimonials to help you get noticed, at any stage of the job search process.
Effectiveness of Employee Testimonials
I recently wrote a post “How to Make Your CV Stand Out with a Personal CV Website”, which shows you how to stand out over other candidates when looking for a new job, by setting up your own CV website.
Visitor statistics from my own CV website, showed that employee testimonials appear of more interest to recruiters / potential employers than detailed work experience, in the early stages of job hunting:
Career Summary Landing Page - 100%*
Employee Testimonials Page - 40%*
Detailed Work Experience Page - 17%*
Career Summary Page.
Customer Testimonials.
Project / Work Experience.
(*other factors can also affect page statistics.)
You are Your Own Brand!
Whether you are a full time employee, part time employee or contractor, you are providing a valuable service to your employers / customers.
Your CV tells a recruitment agency or prospective employer who you worked for & your skills. It makes sense to back up your skills with positive feedback from work colleagues in the form of employee testimonials. Similar to businesses using customer testimonials for their marketing.
Employee Testimonials vs Formal References
Formal references are between your future employer and past employer, which typically occur in the latter stages of the recruitment process, usually in a single letter or form.
Employee testimonials however are direct from people you have worked with, which are much easier to obtain via either email or online.
Such testimonials from your work colleagues will provide a more detailed / accurate picture of your abilities, as you have likely been interacting with them on a daily basis.
How to Use your Employee Testimonials
Employee testimonials are not only for use on CVs. They can also be used on Email Signatures and Social Media interactions to great effect, when looking for a new job.
The first step is to obtain employee testimonials. The two most common methods are as follows:
Direct Contact
Make a list of people you would like testimonies from and request a testimonial via email or social media.
Professional Websites
You may already have testimonials from colleagues on professional websites such as LinkedIn.
In both cases ask if they are ok for you to use their recommendation on your CV, email signature or professional social media (I’ve never had a refusal).
Employee Testimonials vs Customer Testimonials
What’s the best description to use? Both contain the same information from colleagues, however their description will typically depend on your employment type:
“Employee Testimonials” - If you are looking for a permanent role.
“Customer Testimonials” - For contractors, being an external resource.
Other words can also be used as descriptions, such as “References”, “Feedback” or “Assessments”.
Where to Use Your Employee Testimonials?
CV
This is the most important place to add work recommendations, making your CV standout from others. Placing employee testimonials in the final section of your CV, should result in the reader remembering more of what people thought of you.
How should testimonials be formatted on. CV?
A4 / Letter paper width allows for three work recommendations, using three lines of each testimonial. A fourth line in a smaller font should show the company name or persons name / title usually in bold using a smaller font.
You are not limited to just three. You can place your employee testimonials anywhere on your CV, but too many may have the opposite effect.
Email Signature
Placing employee testimonials in your email signature, will give recruitment agents and potential employers an idea of what people think of you, before they have even opened your CV!
You can use different email signatures according to each job type or industry you are targeting. Simply change the “Work Specialties”, “Industry Experience” and “Employee Testimonial” to match the role you are applying for.
I use a text expansion tool, which can save considerable time. My preferred tool is “textexpander” by Smile, which supports hyperlinking.
Personal CV Website
A Personal CV Website can get you to the top of search engine results, as well as giving you complete control over how you want your content laid out! I chose to integrate industry relevant graphic backgrounds for employee testimonials, on the main career summary landing page.
Few people take advantage of employee testimonials when looking for a work, which helps you to stand out!
Feel free to like, comment and share with anyone who is looking for a new job!
Frequently Asked Questions
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Employee testimonials are positive statements or endorsements from your current or former colleagues, supervisors, or managers.
They can highlight your skills, work ethic, character, and accomplishments, adding credibility and personal touch to your CV.
They can also be used to great effect in email and social media signatures.
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Including employee testimonials in your CV can help you stand out from other candidates, as they provide an unbiased perspective on your work performance and can help showcase your strengths and achievements in a more convincing manner.
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There is no fixed number of testimonials you should include in your CV, but generally, 2-3 strong testimonials are sufficient to make a positive impact.
Aim to provide a balanced representation of your work experience that’s relevant to the role you are applying for, with testimonials from different positions or projects.
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To request employee testimonials, approach your colleagues, managers, or supervisors who you have worked closely with and ask if they would be willing to provide a testimonial for your CV.
Make sure to give them enough time to craft a well-thought-out statement and offer guidance on what aspects of your work you'd like them to highlight.
