UBC Service Reference

[marsaturn20]

Hello, 

I am somewhat caught in a dilemma regarding my potential service reference. For most of my service/volunteering activities, I am normally one of the Volunteer Coordinators and/or Managers/Supervisors, so I feel like it would not be a good move if I use my Co-Coordinator or Co-Manager to fill out the reference form. However, I have paid positions where I have Supervisors or Managers who can serve as my reference (e.g. I work as a Teacher), but I am a bit unsure if selecting an employment related "community service" will hurt this part of my application? Any current med students speak about their experiences about using 'paid' service references. TYSM!

[frenchpress]

14 hours ago, marsaturn20 said:

Hello, 

I am somewhat caught in a dilemma regarding my potential service reference. For most of my service/volunteering activities, I am normally one of the Volunteer Coordinators and/or Managers/Supervisors, so I feel like it would not be a good move if I use my Co-Coordinator or Co-Manager to fill out the reference form. However, I have paid positions where I have Supervisors or Managers who can serve as my reference (e.g. I work as a Teacher), but I am a bit unsure if selecting an employment related "community service" will hurt this part of my application? Any current med students speak about their experiences about using 'paid' service references. TYSM!

Using a colleague depends on the type of volunteering role you’re in and how high up in the organization you are. Obviously if you’re just a volunteer who has nothing to do with running the organization, you should not have a fellow volunteer at the same level write your reference. But if you’re actually helping to run the organization, and there’s no one above you, then choosing a colleague could be appropriate. Of course, the type of organization and qualifications of your referee matters too.  This goes for all the references types. They say, for example, that you shouldn’t choose a ‘colleague’ for a professional reference - but if you’re older and in a less hierarchical professional, then this might be appropriate (e.g. professor, lawyer, etc). 
 

The year I applied I used a fellow member of a non-profit board that I was on for my service reference - there was technically someone above me (the board chair) but I didn’t get along nearly as well with that person. Worked out fine.
 

You should pick whoever can best speak to the questions asked on the service reference form. This can come from employment, but look at the questions carefully and think about the nature of the employment if you’re going to go that route.

[marsaturn20]

1 hour ago, frenchpress said:

Using a colleague depends on the type of volunteering role you’re in and how high up in the organization you are. Obviously if you’re just a volunteer who has nothing to do with running the organization, you should not have a fellow volunteer at the same level write your reference. But if you’re actually helping to run the organization, and there’s no one above you, then choosing a colleague could be appropriate. Of course, the type of organization and qualifications of your referee matters too.  This goes for all the references types. They say, for example, that you shouldn’t choose a ‘colleague’ for a professional reference - but if you’re older and in a less hierarchical professional, then this might be appropriate (e.g. professor, lawyer, etc). 
 

The year I applied I used a fellow member of a non-profit board that I was on for my service reference - there was technically someone above me (the board chair) but I didn’t get along nearly as well with that person. Worked out fine.
 

You should pick whoever can best speak to the questions asked on the service reference form. This can come from employment, but look at the questions carefully and think about the nature of the employment if you’re going to go that route.

Thank you!!

[Muffincups]

I find this one problematic as well - I’m an adult with a professional job and the volunteer activities I do involve leadership roles. I am an executive member of two boards in the community; would it be acceptable to ask the president (who supervises the club board activities) to do the community service reference? I do many hours of service for these clubs so I don’t see why I couldn’t - it would be going backwards to have to seek out a more basic volunteer role I had many years ago in order to find someone with a formal supervisory role to comment.  

[miniaturebeaker]

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[frenchpress]

33 minutes ago, Muffincups said:

I find this one problematic as well - I’m an adult with a professional job and the volunteer activities I do involve leadership roles. I am an executive member of two boards in the community; would it be acceptable to ask the president (who supervises the club board activities) to do the community service reference? I do many hours of service for these clubs so I don’t see why I couldn’t - it would be going backwards to have to seek out a more basic volunteer role I had many years ago in order to find someone with a formal supervisory role to comment.  

This is exactly the situation I described above - you’re right it would be backwards, and it isn’t what’s expected. I think asking someone else on the board, like the president, should be totally fine. 

[Muffincups]

3 hours ago, frenchpress said:

This is exactly the situation I described above - you’re right it would be backwards, and it isn’t what’s expected. I think asking someone else on the board, like the president, should be totally fine. 

That’s reassuring, thanks