When do i give my references

They may need to ask teachers or professors, parents, coaches or contacts from their volunteer work. At a minimum, use a search engine to quickly check each person who agrees to serve as your reference. An employer might do the same. Keeping control of your references is important. If the employer asks for more names, or makes a specific request — such as wanting to speak to your most recent boss — you can respond accordingly.

Otherwise it could be that a letter of reference will suffice. Your reference would be embarrassed and maybe angry with you. Avoid this common mistake. There are several steps in preparing each reference:. The least you should do is give an approved, current phone number and email address for each person.

This may take a bit of research on your part if the reference is from years ago and no longer works at the same place. Do not leave it up to the employer to locate this information themselves.

Whether listed on the job description or asked by a hiring manager, follow directions carefully. If you are asked to send references, develop a separate document instead of placing them directly on your resume.

Find jobs. Company reviews. Find salaries. Upload your resume. Sign in. How employers use references. When to include references on a resume. How to send references. Read the job description carefully. Create a separate reference list document. Select appropriate references. Follow reference request etiquette. Related View More arrow right. Providing references with your application shows that you take initiative, which may be an asset if the job description calls for a self-starter with initiative and drive.

The downside of including references on your resume is that your busy references may be pestered by a lazy hiring manager who would rather call references than read lengthy application materials when selecting applicants to interview.

Old-school practices dictated this sentence on every resume, stating the obvious: References available upon request. That is no longer standard protocol. An attached list of references is equally unhelpful if the employer requested written recommendation letters. Conversely, reference letters are pointless if the employer goes entirely by phone conversations with references, and tosses unrequested letters into the shredder.

The safest strategy is to submit work references in accordance with the employers' wishes instead of second-guessing what they may or may not want you to do. You may be asked to sign a statement authorizing the company to contact your references at a mutually agreed upon point in the hiring process. Employers ask for reference information on the application if they want the option of contacting references as part of the screening process. University of Pennsylvania explains that telephone and remote reference checks are standard in higher education as a way to whittle down a large pool of candidates for a campus interview.

You may also be asked to submit references before an interview if the hiring manager wants to be certain that you have professionals willing to vouch for your character and job performance.