You might have noticed that many of our resume template collections include a professional references template in the optional coordinating documents bundle.
What is a professional reference page?
Why should you use it?
How do you use it?
These are great questions. Here’s everything you need to know about job references and how they can help you in your job search.
What Is a Professional Reference?
Designed to match the resume template for sales professionals in the Driving Growth Collection, this references sheet provides an attractive format for providing prospective employers with your work references.
Simply put, a professional reference is a personal or professional contact that can provide a character reference and vouch for your qualifications and skills for a specific job.
Job references can be colleagues, co-workers, mentors, professors, or past employers. A reference from a past direct supervisor or direct manager can be potent. Personal references can also be helpful, but most of your references should be work references.
When a hiring manager requests your job reference list, they’re looking to validate the information on your resume and get a better sense of who you are as a person. References from people who have worked with you professionally (as opposed to personal references) are more likely to be able to share relevant information with the prospective employer.
Think of job references as your own personal advocates who can speak to your character and abilities. Your references should be able to discuss your work ethic, skills, experience, and accomplishments. They should also be able to attest to your character traits, such as whether you’re a team player or if you take direction well.
Essentially, your references should be able to paint a picture of what it’s like to work with you.
It’s always best to ask for permission before listing someone as a reference—no one wants to be caught off guard by a phone call from a hiring manager!
Once you have permission, make sure to provide your reference with an up-to-date copy of your resume so they know what kind of position you’re applying for and what kind of skills and experience you have.
You should also provide them with a list of talking points that highlight your best qualities and accomplishments. This will help them prepare for a phone call from a potential employer.
Keep in mind that prospective employers will almost certainly contact the people on your references list and perform a reference check. Hence, choosing people with positive things to say about you and who will be available when an employer calls is essential.
Having strong job references can help you land the job you want. In fact, they can make all of the difference in whether you land your dream job or not.
When Should You Submit Your Job References?
You should never send references WITH your resume for professional jobs. Instead, use a references sheet like this one from the Maverick Collection that you bring with you to leave behind at the end of an interview.
Have you noticed that our professional resume templates do not include space for references? There is a reason for that! Never submit your resume for a job application with a reference section in the resume or even with a separate reference page.
Your reason for sending a resume at this stage of the hiring process is to garner enough interest from hiring managers to get called for an interview. Your goal should be to secure an interview before providing references.
The last thing you want is for prospective employers to call references before they’ve even met you. All this does is give the employer an easy way to screen you out before they speak with you.
If you submit references with your resume, you significantly reduce your chances of even getting in the door for an interview.
Instead, you’ll want to bring your reference list to the interview. This is when most employers will ask for your references. If you are still interested in the job, and they are requested at the end of the interview, this is the time to provide your list of references.
The last thing you want is for prospective employers to call references before they’ve even met you. All this does is give the employer an easy way to screen you out before they speak with you.
If you submit references with your resume, you significantly reduce your chances of even getting in the door for an interview.
Instead, you’ll want to bring your reference list to the interview. This is when most employers will ask for your references. If you are still interested in the job, and they are requested at the end of the interview, this is the time to provide your list of references.
One more critical point. You’ve undoubtedly seen the phrase ” References Available on Request” at the end of many resumes.
Don’t do this.
Just don’t!
Of course you will provide references on request. That is a fact that is taken for granted. There is no need to take up valuable space in your resume stating this.
How Should Your Professional References Sheet Look?
Being prepared to submit professional references immediately following your interview can give you a competitive edge and help you land the job you want.
Our professionally designed downloadable professional reference templates eliminate the guesswork and simplify creating your reference sheet.
The references templates provide an easy-to-fill-in format with everything you need to get started, including space for contact information (at a minimum, a phone number and email address; an exact physical address is unnecessary, but the city, state, and zip are often included), relationship details, and any specific areas of your qualifications and experience that the reference can discuss and confirm.
Simply fill out the references template with the necessary information and pass it along to the hiring manager when requested.
Here are a few of our customer-favorite reference sheet templates:
From the Computora Collection, this references sheet is in a style that matches the computer science resume template and provides space to include excerpts of reference letters in addition to the more traditional references list.
Blue collar workers can’t help but get attention and win the job they want when they use this references sheet to provide work references. It is designed to match our blue-collar resume template.
Executives and professionals will win a true competitive edge when they use the references sheet template designed to coordinate with the quality resume template that is part of the Gold Quality Collection.
Even though the reference sheet template is a separate document, the overall design and style of your reference page should match your resume and any other career documents.
Building a portfolio of coordinating career documents, including your reference list, will ensure you make an impeccably professional first impression on hiring managers.
Our template collections make this so easy you can have all your documents, including your reference page, finished and ready to submit for jobs tomorrow.
Just download the document templates, open them in Microsoft Word, and input all the information as prompted in the templates.
We’ve included helpful prompts and tips throughout our document templates to make this fast and easy!
You can write each document directly in the template or copy and paste your information from other career documents you have created for yourself.
There is space on each template for at least six references. While it is okay to include a personal reference, most should be job-related references.
Some of our reference list templates provide space to include excerpts of a reference letter (or two or three) that a reference has written for you. Here are some more examples:
This references list template matches the style of the combination resume template in the Exquisite Collection and provides space to include excerpts of letters written for you by professional references.
Even students will benefit from using a professionally designed references list such as this one designed to coordinate with our college admissions resume template.
References in every type of job and industry will benefit from a professional references list. This template for references is designed to match the real estate resume template from our Real Estate Edge Collection.
A Few Final Thoughts
Excellent work references can be the difference between getting a callback with a job offer or being passed over entirely. Many employers view them as an opportunity to get an unbiased third-party opinion about a candidate. After all, it’s one thing to say that you’re qualified for the job—it’s another thing to have someone else vouch for your skills and experience.
Being prepared with an attractively designed reference list to provide when asked for references shows that you’re taking the extra steps necessary to give employers peace of mind.
It also demonstrates that you have good relationships with the people you’ve worked with in the past. And finally, it allows potential employers to verify the information on your resume and cover letter.
All of these factors can help increase your chances of getting hired.
Download your favorite reference list template and other matching documents, and get started today.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a professional reference?
A professional reference is someone who can vouch for your qualifications and skills for a job. These can be past employers, colleagues, or mentors who know your work ethic, skills, and character well. They’re like your personal advocates when you’re applying for a job.
Why should I use professional references?
Professional references are important because they give the hiring manager a better sense of who you are as a person, beyond just what’s written on your resume. They can verify your work experience, skills, and character traits. Good references can often make the difference in landing your dream job.
When should I provide my professional references?
You should only provide your professional references when asked, usually at the end of a job interview. It’s not recommended to include references in your resume or job application as it could lead to potential employers screening you out before they’ve even met you.
How should I prepare my professional references?
First, you should always ask for permission before listing someone as a reference. Once they agree, provide them with an up-to-date copy of your resume and a list of talking points about your skills and accomplishments. This helps them prepare for a phone call from a potential employer.
What should a professional reference sheet look like?
A professional reference sheet should be neatly organized and match the overall design and style of your resume. It should have contact information for your references, details of your relationship with them, and specific areas of your qualifications they can discuss.
Why shouldn't I write References Available on Request on my resume?
Writing “References Available on Request” on your resume is unnecessary because it’s taken for granted that you’ll provide references when asked. It also wastes valuable space on your resume that could be used to highlight your skills and experience.
How many professional references should I include on my reference sheet?
Your reference sheet should include at least six references. Most of these should be job-related references, though including a personal reference is also acceptable. The goal is to provide a range of people who can vouch for your skills, experience, and character.
Is it helpful to use a reference sheet template?
Distinctive Resume Templates provide professionally designed reference sheet templates that you can easily fill in. These templates eliminate the guesswork and simplify creating your reference sheet. They come with helpful prompts and tips, ensuring you include all necessary information. Plus, the design of these templates matches your resume and other career documents, helping you make a strong professional impression on hiring managers. All you need to do is download the templates, open them in Microsoft Word, and input your information as prompted in the templates.
About the Author: Michelle Dumas
