Asking for references is a standard part of the recruitment process. It enables recruiters to verify your performance, abilities and character with past employers and confirm that your CV presents an accurate and truthful account of your career. But what is current best practice for putting references on your CV?
What is a reference?
A reference is essentially an account of your employability, from someone who has worked with you in the past. Potential employers will contact this person (your referee) to confirm that you are who you say you are, have done what you’ve said you’ve done and are capable of fulfilling the requirements of the role they want to fill. The request may be as simple as a tick-box questionnaire, as vague as a request for a reference or anything in between. It could even be a phone call. At some stage of the recruitment process, you can expect your potential employer to ask for the contact details of your referees.
Who should I ask for a reference?
When you’re job hunting, it’s important to have two or three people in mind who could write a reference for you. Once you’re established in your career, your referees are normally past employers – often your line manager. It’s important to select people who will speak highly of you and your ability to do the job. Try to ensure that your references are written by someone who actually worked with you and knows you personally, rather than a faceless individual in the HR department. Someone who knows you will be able to provide a warmer, more detailed and more accurate account.
If you’re
younger, teachers, tutors, neighbours and family friends may be able to provide character references to help you to get your career started. Employers understand that you may not have professional references early in your career and will accept other referees instead – just not from close family!
Should I include references on my CV?
Whilst in the past a
good CV would be expected to contain the names and contact details of your referees, it is no longer expected. In fact, it could do more harm than good!
With many CVs these days being uploaded to job sites, LinkedIn and other online portals, you need to consider the security of the data you’re sharing. It’s unlikely that your referees will appreciate their personal details being uploaded freely to random sites.
Technology is also an important consideration. With many CVs now being scanned by
Applicant Tracking Systems, layout is very important. If the contact details of your referee are interpreted as your own, that could lead to some very interesting (and potentially embarrassing) conversations!
Consider also the potential for reference fatigue. If you share your references on your CV at this early stage of recruitment, hiring managers will have the opportunity to contact them up front – even if you’re not ultimately offered the job. When your referees have written a few references for you, the novelty will wear off. Ideally, the first reference that they provide will be a glowing endorsement that they’ve taken a lot of time and care over. If they’re asked repeatedly, they’re unlikely to put in the same effort and are less likely to tailor their comments to the specific role.
So, all things considered, it’s not advisable to put details of your references on your CV.
Should I put “References available on request” on my CV?
An alternative to including referees on your CV is to include the common line “References available on request”. It’s harmless enough, but not strictly necessary and really quite pointless. If an employer wants references, they’ll certainly ask for them! It’s unlikely they’ll say “oh, there’s no mention of references on this CV, we won’t bother then”. You could use this space to give the recruiter yet another reason to invite you to interview, instead.
That said, there’s no harm in including it. It can finish off the CV neatly and it certainly won’t cause you to miss out on a job. It’s just not the best use of space.
Can I quote references on my CV?
If you’ve already received a reference from someone, or have had particularly good feedback from a performance appraisal or a LinkedIn recommendation, it’s tempting to include it on your CV to prove that you have that endorsement. However, large blocks of text and feedback taken out of context usually add very little value. Your CV bragging is best limited to quantifiable
achievements, with, at most, a line or two of feedback from a past or current employer.
What can I do instead?
If you have feedback you’re keen to share, why not include it on your
LinkedIn profile, under the Summary or Experience fields? Alternatively, you can ask colleagues and managers for endorsements and recommendations on your profile. This option enables you to show off a whole host of feedback, straight from the horse’s mouth, from as many contacts as you can muster. It’s a great way for past colleagues and others in your network to support your career, so it’s always worth an ask. If you don’t feel comfortable asking, sometimes writing your own recommendation for someone else will result in a reciprocal favour. Don’t forget to include a link to your profile on your CV!
Another option would be to take your reference details to the interview with you, neatly formatted and printed. This avoids the problems associated with including references on your CV, without holding back on sharing this important information.
I still want to include references on my CV!
If you’re not convinced by these reasons not to include references on your CV, or if they are specifically requested during the initial stages of recruitment, you can add them as an appendix. In that case, start a new page headed References, and state your referee’s name, job title, employer name, phone number and email address. It would be polite to ask permission first, or at least warn your referees that you’ve done this!
An example of a CV reference page
References
Fred Smith, Account Director, Rick & Son Ltd
fsmith@rickandson.com
020 7890 1234
Esra Guven, Sales Manager, Earthland Plc
eguven@earth.co.uk
07890 111111
When should I give details of my referees?
Ideally, you should hold off sharing referee details until you’ve received a verbal job offer. Waiting until this stage will save your referees from being bothered unnecessarily and also gives you control over who you share their contact details with. Importantly, it also ensures that you can focus on selling yourself on your CV. Your skills, experience and qualifications are far more important than someone else’s contact information.
In the earlier stages of the recruitment process, you should be more focused on identifying suitable referees and confirming that they’d be willing to provide a reference if required. If you share the
job advert or role details with them, they’ll even be able to tailor their responses to prove that you really are the right person for the position.
If references are requested before you have a job offer in hand, it’s perfectly acceptable to say that you’d like to hold off sharing their contact details until you receive a firm offer. Not everyone wants to broadcast their job search to their current employer and recruiters will understand this.
Further CV help
If you have any questions about any other aspect of CV writing, there’s plenty more advice on the blog. Alternatively, CV Shed would be happy to help. Why not kick back and let CV Shed take the strain? The
CV writing service will have you on the road to a new job before you’ve finished your box set.
