There’s a lot of advice about managing your references and various opinions on how and what to include. Details that all sites agree your reference page should have included the following:
Header with your name and contact information Reference name Current job position of the reference Company Phone number Email address
Here is a summary of some resume sites and their recommendations for organizing your references. Some of the sites noted have templates you can download and customize.
1. Bizz Library
Bizz Library provides Google Docs and Microsoft Word templates you can download to organize your references. Bizz Library suggests that you choose references that focus on two or three of your strongest qualities and provide detailed examples to back them up.
You want references that offer examples of your work ethic, character, and personality. The site also suggests that your document should provide details on the relationship between the reference and you, for example, how long you’ve known each other and in what capacity.
Bizz Library recommends that you may want to cater your references to the job you’re applying for and the job responsibilities. Providing references is about more than who you are as a person; it also includes proving you have the skills and knowledge to do the work expected.
2. Easy Resume
Easy Resume advises job hunters to provide more than the name and company of your references. Including your references’ email addresses and phone numbers to potential employers is critical when they request references. You don’t want to waste their time searching for contact information for your references.
Easy Resume suggests keeping the format consistent with your resume regarding the layout of your reference page, which means organizing your references in the same format you used for your resume’s employment section. In addition to including your references’ contact information, you can also include the following:
Your relationship with the reference. How long have you worked with them? Provide examples of experiences on which you and the reference collaborated, so they can provide more detail to your potential employer.
When providing examples of your work with references, be specific, not general. For example, instead of saying you worked with the reference for several years, you should say you worked together for 3 to 4 years.
3. Job Hero
Job Hero is another employment site that recommends keeping the formatting of your reference page consistent with your resume. If you’re new to the workforce, the site suggests you provide three references. Executive-level roles require more contacts, with anywhere from five to seven references.
For those applying for different positions, Job Hero suggests choosing contacts and colleagues who know enough to speak to the specifics related to the job you’re applying for. Suppose you have a reference that is difficult to reach but want them to be a reference; you may ask the hiring manager if your contact can write a character reference email.
4. My Perfect Resume
My Perfect Resume suggests that you should consider four things when preparing your reference document:
Think about the three best references for the job you’ve applied for. Consider what makes them your best reference. Keep layout consistent with resume. Make sure reference contact information is current.
If you are a recent graduate, you can use a mentor or professor with whom you’ve built a relationship as your reference. If you’ve done career-related projects in school, you may choose those professors as references.
Your mentor can speak to your growth and your plans for the future. If you have volunteer experience, you can ask a contact with the organization to be a reference.
5. Novo Resume
Nova Resume has a different spin on how you should approach your references list. They suggest starting your list with your biggest fan. You want your potential employer to speak to the people who think highly of you and your work. When providing details about the nature of the relationship with your references, be careful not to overshare.
Personal references should have a subsection, so your potential employer understands that the connection isn’t work-related. Similar to Job Hero, Novo Resume recommends three to five references for entry-level jobs and five to seven for senior-level roles.
If you are currently employed and have a good feeling about the job you’re providing references for, you may want to start working on your two-weeks notice letter.
6. Resume Genius
Like Novo Resume, Resume Genius recommends you list your most influential or impressive references first to improve your chances of getting noticed. Similar to other sites covered, Resume Genius suggests that you keep the formatting of your reference page consistent with your cover letter and resume.
The site also recommends three to four references for most jobs and five to seven contacts for senior roles requiring extensive vetting.
7. Zety
Zety recommends being strategic about choosing your references. Like many of the other sites on this list, Zety suggests keeping the format of your reference page consistent with the other documents you’ve provided to the potential employer.
Before sending the potential employer your reference list, you should inform your references, so they aren’t caught off-guard by a call or email from a hiring manager. When selecting your contacts, choose people who can speak positively about your work ethic, experience, and skills.
Making Your References Work for You
All the sites listed above have examples or templates you can refer to or download. You can download the Microsoft Office template for references for more options. The information you provide on your reference page is the same regardless of the site you visit. You can choose how you order your connections, deciding whether you want to share your biggest fans or the contacts most related to the job you’re applying for.
If you don’t have much work experience yet, don’t worry about finding references! You can ask professors and mentors to be your references, and don’t forget to confirm the contact information to ensure that the details you’re providing to potential employers are current.
