References Available Upon Request? Of course you’d gladly give someone references if they were inquiring about using them to potentially hire you. Many resumes conclude with this basic line of text. It should be obvious that you would offer them, but if you leave off that line, would the reader (the potential employer!) surmise that you wouldn’t provide them with your references? Or worse – that you didn’t even have decent references? Almost everyone has someone (or several someones!) that would vouch for them, and say they were a wonderful person and a hard worker.
How many references are enough? Who should be included? Should they be people you know well – your neighbor, your brother-in-law, and the judge whose children you babysat for when you were in high school? Should current employers, co-worker, clients, customers and past employers be on this list?
A good reference list should be well balanced between people you have worked both with and for, and depending on your situation, possibly some non-professional references as well. If you are still in school, the references should include both academic and non-academic contacts. Their contact information: names, titles, phone numbers and email addresses should be supplied and up-to-date. Don’t forget to check on this before producing and providing this list.
Another factor is also essential. Make certain that you have contacted these people and have gotten their permission to use them as a reference. Just because you have worked with someone, for someone or know him or her very well, does not mean that they will be a good reference for you. Assumptions are known to backfire. Some of the stories I have heard about this have caused a great many problems for the candidate in ways they never would have believed. And, even worse, these are situations that could have been easily avoided.
Even if someone would be a wonderful reference, a phone call “out of the blue” pertaining to you looking for a job might come as a complete surprise. They are simply caught off guard and don’t react as well as they could have if you had tipped them off that they may receive a phone call on your behalf. Additionally, some companies have a policy where they are not permitted to give references on behalf of past employees. They may confirm employment dates and salary, but are not to give any subjective information. It is best for you to know this in advance, and then decide whether you should substitute someone else in his or her place on your list.
Typically I recommend that a reference list should be an addendum to the resume, only to be supplied when requested. That request usually occurs only if the employer is serious. At that point they are fairly confident that you are a strong candidate and want to verify that others support their opinion. Think about it. They are not going to be interested in your references if they are not interested in hiring you. It would be highly unlikely that someone would take the time to check your references if they didn’t think you were a top-notch candidate. And on a positive note, it is common that when the decision between two candidates is close, the one who has the stronger references gets the offer. Don’t underestimate the value of your references!
Lauren Castle is the owner of Impress Express, a professional image firm, focusing on career development, resume preparation, presentation skills, etiquette and interview coaching. We are members of the Professional Association of Resume Writers. For help with your image, posting your resume, or preparing your internet-friendly resume, contact Lauren directly at 858-459-7400. And, as always, please forward your image and career-related questions to [email protected] for further information.