LEO: Literacy Education Online References in Resumes

At some point during the selection process, most prospective employers will want to check applicants' references, people who have agreed to recommend the applicants to prospective employers. Usually, the last section of the resume will handle references in some way.

• Most job applicants indicate their willingness to provide references in the last line of their resume: References available upon request.

• Many SCSU job applicants list the address and phone number of Career Planning and Placement and their placement file number under references. Then, prospective employees wanting letters of reference can simply contact Career Planning and Placement.

• Some prospective employees want references listed right on the resume.
  • If you list references on your resume, include a balance of academic and nonacademic references.

  • Include references' professional titles and their work addresses and phone numbers.

  • Make sure that you've asked permissions before you include people as references: don't assume that they're willing to write you a letter of support, that they'll write you a favorable reference, or that they have time to write you a reference. Such assumptions will inevitably backfire. And if you list people without their permissions, even if they are willing to serve as a reference, they probably won't be prepared to talk about you if people call asking for references.

• If you're unsure whether or not you should list references on your resume, check the job listing or a professional in your field for advice.

• If you don't list references on your resume, prepare a separate reference sheet that you can take to interviews; then, when prospective employers ask for a list, you'll be prepared. Take a look at a sample reference sheet to see a standard format.

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