Prospective employers often check references before hiring. It is a good idea to start thinking about references early, as this can be a stressful task for many students. Start cultivating relationships with professors and advisors early and continue to network during your college years.
What Is a Reference?
A great professional reference is someone who has had the opportunity to observe your skills and can verify your character, work ethic, and abilities related to the job you are seeking. Common references are past employers, professors, administrators, coaches, or advisors.
Choose your references wisely. Don’t go for the “big name” reference who does not know much about you. It is better to have a strong reference who can provide positive details about you and your work abilities than to have a senior person who can only speak vaguely. Provide only professional or academic references. Do not ask parents, friends, significant other, etc. to serve as a professional reference.
Tips
- Courteously ask each person to serve as a reference (via email).
- Provide information to prepare them, such as a job posting and your resume.
- Remind the person of tasks you’ve worked on together or areas of your experience you’d like them to highlight.
- Send a thank-you note to your reference.
- Stay in touch, keeping them updated on your job search.
Presenting Your References
- Create a separate reference page. Note: This is not a section of your resume.
- Use the same heading at the top of your reference page as you used on your resume. Match the formatting to provide consistency throughout your professional documents.
- List 3-5 references, in order of importance for the desired position. Include the full name, title, employer, work address, phone number, and email address for each reference. It is also helpful to state how you are connected to each reference. (For example: former professor)