🌟 Intro to Professional References

When you're getting hired through Zen Educate, your professional references help schools feel confident that you’re reliable, safe, and great to work with. This quick guide will help make sure your references check all the boxes. ✅

👍 What is a Professional Reference?

A professional reference is someone you’ve worked with who can speak to your:

Experience
Reliability
Communication and collaboration — especially with kids and teammates

🔍 Who to Choose

🌟 Best Reference:

A recent supervisor (manager, lead teacher, principal, etc.)
You must have worked together for at least 3 months within the past 5 years, or we will need a second reference

👍 Another good option:

A colleague or teammate — just note they may not be able to speak to all elements of past performance that we require, so we may ask for a second reference

❓No job experience yet?

Try a professor, mentor, volunteer coordinator, church leader, or internship supervisor

⚠️ Not allowed:

Family members are generally not accepted as references
Friends are only accepted if you worked together professionally for 3+ months within the past 5 years (e.g., at a business, organization, or volunteer setting)

⏳ How Recent Should They Be?

Your strongest references are from the last 5 years — this gives the clearest picture of your recent experience.

💡 Need Help Thinking of Someone?

If you’re unsure who to list, reach out to your onboarding owner — we’re happy to help brainstorm.

🚨 Before You Enter Their Info

Please:

Ask for permission to list them
See if they can share a professional email (e.g.@school.org / @business.com)
Let them know to expect an email and/or phone call
Suggest they save our number to avoid spam filtering
Remind them to check their spam folder just in case

📧 If you're using a personal email (e.g., Gmail), please also let your recruiter know so we can call them directly — they’ll need to be ready to answer so we’re not mistaken for spam.

📥 How to Add References in the Zen App

You’ll be asked to enter:

Full name (first and last)
Job title
Where you worked together
Phone number
Work email address — Gmail/Yahoo is okay, but we will call them if no work email is available
Dates you worked together — these must match your resume

📝 We verify all references, so accuracy matters!

📩 Still Have Questions?

Message your recruiter — we’re here to help!

✅ Summary Checklist

Before submitting your references, make sure:

You worked with them for 3+ months
You’ve asked for permission
They know to expect a call or email
Their details match your resume or profile experience
You've provided a work email when possible — otherwise, let your recruiter know