Guide: When to Include References on a CV

You may feel the job is guaranteed, but it may not be until satisfactory references have been supplied. It’s very important that you choose the right people to be your professional references.

Professional references are people who can confirm your suitability for the job to a potential employer. Someone who makes a suitable reference could be a former manager, supervisor, colleague or a client that you’ve previously done work for. If you’re a recent graduate, a college or university lecturer or tutor can also act as a professional reference.

When picking people to act as your reference, choose those who can speak about your suitability for the job. For example, suppose you’re going for a job as an IT Project Manager. In this case, you’ll want to choose people who can vouch for your leadership, communication, time management skills and your experience in IT. So, providing the details of the person who was your boss when you were a checkout operative may not help you in securing the job.

Most employers will ask for professional references, but depending on the job you’re going for, you may be asked to provide a character reference. As the name implies, a character reference is someone who can give an overview of you as a person – an assessment of your character. Friends and family don’t make good character references as they’ll find it difficult to write an unbiased account of you. People like teachers, mentors, someone you volunteer with or a member of a club you attend can act as a character reference.

Related: How To Identify & Prep A Professional Reference

 

In general, it’s not necessary for you to include references on your CV. Yet, there may be specific occasions when you should include references. These include:

The job description asks for references

Always include references on your CV if the job description asks for them. This shows the employer that you’ve read the description, and your application may be rejected if you haven’t included them.

It depends on the employer, the industry and the job if references are asked for. Just because it’s not mentioned in one job description doesn’t mean all will be like that. So, read everyone thoroughly.

The employer or recruiter has asked for them to be included

In communication with the employer or recruiter, they may mention that they want references to be included on your CV. Be sure to confirm with them the number of references they want to be included. The standard is two, but they may want more or less than this.

You have space on your CV

Every bit of space on your CV should be used to prove that you’re the best candidate for the job. A strong personal statement should start your CV. This should be followed by a section that lists your skills that are relevant to the job. Follow this with a tailored work experience section.

After detailing all these points, you have a significant amount of ‘white space’ left you can consider including references to fill this space.

Related: How Long Should a CV be?

Your reference is well-known in the industry

A professional reference from a person seen as an industry expert can go a long way to helping you secure a new job. This is because what they have to say is likely to be ‘respected’ and listened to.

 

In the job description, it may state how the employer wants references to be laid out. If so, follow these instructions to the letter. If this information isn’t provided then it’s standard practice to place references at the end of your CV, after the work experience section. You can also provide them on a separate sheet if you don’t have space on your CV.

The details that the employer may want could include the first and last name of the referee, their job title, the name and address of the company, the referee’s telephone number and email address. It can also be helpful to include a short description of your relationship to the referee.

Before listing your CV references, you should first get the permission of the people you want to act as a referee. Doing this means they won’t be taken by surprise if they get contacted by your potential new employer. Before submitting your application or CV, send the person you want to act as a referee an email or give them a call and check that they’re OK with acting as a reference for you.