Quantcast

Why the Reference Page is the Most Important Part of Any Resume

Posted on 20. Sep, 2008 posted by Bill in Employment News

Giving future employers references on your resume is a great way to build trust. References are testimonials about you as a person, they’re a credit to you. Let’s just say that a reference page is the most crucial aspect of the whole resume. This doesn’t mean you should include the references within the resume however. It’s much more effective to say that references are available upon request, and have them ready on a separate page.

In seriousness it depends on what type of job you’re applying for. Saying that references are available on request can be effective and are quite common amongst job seekers of today. But in some markets, the employers may see it as lazy and that you’re trying to hide something. So use some common sense, and have a think about the role you’re applying for then address the references section accordingly.

Typically the rule of thumb when creating a resume reference page is to include 3 professional references and 3 personal ones. Again it all depends on the role you’re applying for. But you can’t go wrong with 6 decent references. Usually your future employer or anyone interested in your resume, will always pay attention to the professional references. Because most of the time the references are former employer’s or employee’s.

It’s essential you contact your professional references beforehand, explaining that they may be contacted to give a reference. You should polietly ask what type of things they’ll say in the reference. Obviously if you had a good relationship with these references, you shouldn’t have a problem!

When writing your professional references you should include your reference’s name, job title, company, address, and phone number. Including the job title is crucial. Job title’s mean authority, it’s golden when someone with authority is giving you a glowing reference. If that job title is in a similar field to the job you’re applying for, then the reference is always going to be in high regard.

Similar Posts:

Share and Enjoy:
  • Print
  • Digg
  • Sphinn
  • del.icio.us
  • Facebook
  • Google Bookmarks
  • email
  • FriendFeed
  • LinkedIn
  • Live
  • Posterous
  • Propeller
  • StumbleUpon
  • Twitter

Tags:

  • http://askamanager.blogspot.com/ Ask a Manager

    A lot of hiring managers (me included) don’t care at all about personal references. I’m not going to call them, and they don’t count toward the overall number of references I want to see. I actually think it looks naive when candidates include them! I want professional references only, and managers in particular.

    You also don’t need to write “references available upon request” — every employer is going to assume that’s the case, so need to take up space on the resume if you prefer not to. I totally agree though that you shouldn’t include your reference list as a standard part of your resume — you want to wait until you’re asked for them at the end of the process.

  • http://askamanager.blogspot.com Ask a Manager

    A lot of hiring managers (me included) don’t care at all about personal references. I’m not going to call them, and they don’t count toward the overall number of references I want to see. I actually think it looks naive when candidates include them! I want professional references only, and managers in particular.

    You also don’t need to write “references available upon request” — every employer is going to assume that’s the case, so need to take up space on the resume if you prefer not to. I totally agree though that you shouldn’t include your reference list as a standard part of your resume — you want to wait until you’re asked for them at the end of the process.

  • http://www.findyourcareermatch.com/ Grace

    Almost everyone finds it difficult to choose the right profession, and it can be even more difficult to find help that isn’t vague and general. The stakes are high; find the career path that suits your personality and interests, or risk landing among the 45% of all college students who drop out or fail out. At http://www.findyourcareermatch.com, you get substantive advice on the careers you are most compatible with, based on a comparison of your attributes to those of actual top performers in a variety of fields. Rather than presenting students with a list of job titles that may or may not interest them, SmartHire’s career match tool helps students understand how their strengths translate into opportunities! Read more at http://www.findyourcareermatch.com

  • http://www.findyourcareermatch.com Grace

    Almost everyone finds it difficult to choose the right profession, and it can be even more difficult to find help that isn’t vague and general. The stakes are high; find the career path that suits your personality and interests, or risk landing among the 45% of all college students who drop out or fail out. At http://www.findyourcareermatch.com, you get substantive advice on the careers you are most compatible with, based on a comparison of your attributes to those of actual top performers in a variety of fields. Rather than presenting students with a list of job titles that may or may not interest them, SmartHire’s career match tool helps students understand how their strengths translate into opportunities! Read more at http://www.findyourcareermatch.com

  • http://www.hollisterstaff.com/ Holly

    Great post! It is so important to remember to call or contact your reference beforehand to make sure that they would be willing to speak on behalf of you and also to make sure that they do indeed feel that you would be a good candidate. I work for a staffing company in Boston, Hollister Staffing (www.hollisterstaff.com) and in most cases lean towards my clients listing their references in their resume, as I find that to be the most effective way to go about it. I also encourage them to bring copies of any letters of recommendation they have with them so they can be prepared if the interviewer asks for one. I also love your advice about having someone with authority give you a reference, it really helps!

  • http://www.hollisterstaff.com Holly

    Great post! It is so important to remember to call or contact your reference beforehand to make sure that they would be willing to speak on behalf of you and also to make sure that they do indeed feel that you would be a good candidate. I work for a staffing company in Boston, Hollister Staffing (www.hollisterstaff.com) and in most cases lean towards my clients listing their references in their resume, as I find that to be the most effective way to go about it. I also encourage them to bring copies of any letters of recommendation they have with them so they can be prepared if the interviewer asks for one. I also love your advice about having someone with authority give you a reference, it really helps!

  • http://www.resumebycprw.com/ Resume Professional

    Ask a Manager,

    Your comment was very helpful. Many people might not realize that certain things such as ‘references available upon request’ may come off as a little green. Thanks for the inside scoop!

    Resume to Referral
    Resume and Career Services
    http://www.resumebycprw.com

  • http://www.resumebycprw.com/ Resume Professional

    Ask a Manager,

    Your comment was very helpful. Many people might not realize that certain things such as ‘references available upon request’ may come off as a little green. Thanks for the inside scoop!

    Resume to Referral
    Resume and Career Services
    http://www.resumebycprw.com

  • Stephen Q Shannon

    Well said. My training and years in outplacement plead the same message. Do NOT volunteer references a) Premature, b) Shows lack of professionalism, c) If indeed references are souight THE REFERENCES GIVEN SHOULD MATCH THE LEVEL OF THE RECRUITER. Example: VPs want to talk to VPs and not to lesser mortals. Got another take? I am actually open. Let’s hear it here and now. sQs

  • Stephen Q Shannon

    Well said. My training and years in outplacement plead the same message. Do NOT volunteer references a) Premature, b) Shows lack of professionalism, c) If indeed references are souight THE REFERENCES GIVEN SHOULD MATCH THE LEVEL OF THE RECRUITER. Example: VPs want to talk to VPs and not to lesser mortals. Got another take? I am actually open. Let’s hear it here and now. sQs

blog comments powered by Disqus
UA-206632-5