Office of Career Services

WHAT IS A REFERENCE PAGE?

Your Reference Page should be a one page document with the same letterhead as your resume and cover letter. It will list 3-5 references in order of preference (whom you would prefer to have contacted first to whom next and so on).

 WHO SHOULD ACT AS MY REFERENCE WHEN AN EMPLOYER REQUESTS REFERENCES?

Before your first job application or interview you should prepare a list of 3-5 references who can attest to your work. You’ll want to contact each of these references to alert them to your job search, request their participation as references, and confirm their contact information. You do not need to ask the most senior or recognized person in your organization to be your reference, rather your references should be the supervisors, colleagues, professors and associates you have worked with on a regular basis who can best attest to your work. Each time you deliver the list of your references to a potential employer you should contact each of your references to let them know the type of job you’ve applied for and why, so they may act in your best interest to represent you clearly when contacted.

WHEN SHOULD I DELIVER MY REFERENCES?

Employers are almost always required to check references before hiring. Sometimes the job posting itself will request submission of references along with your cover letter and resume. At other times, you may not be requested to give the employer your references until you have completed one or several interviews. In each case, wait for the employer to request your references before giving out this information. This practice maintains respect for your references; you are not revealing their contact information unless necessary.

DO I NEED TO REFER TO MY REFERENCES ON MY RESUME?

You do not need to refer to your references in any way on your resume. Simply include your reference page with your documents when applying to the job (if, in fact, it is requested at that time) or whenever the employer requests them.

A sample reference page