A referee is anyone who can vouch for what you are like as a person and what you are like to work with. You want to choose people who can say good things about you to potential employers.
Don’t use family members or friends as referees. Unless you have worked with them their opinion won’t count for much.
Ask someone you have worked with at school, in the community or in the workplace. A referee doesn’t just have to be your old boss. It could be a co-worker or customer or client you dealt with regularly.
You can still have referees if you haven’t had a job before. Your high-school teacher or principal or the member of a charity you volunteer with could be your referee. Anyone who knows what you’re like to work with and who is willing to speak in your favour would make a good referee.
Unless otherwise specified in the job application, providing contact details for two or three referees should be enough.
How do I go about getting a referee?
To get a referee all you have to do is ask for their permission and their contact details.
When someone agrees to be your referee, it means that they'll let you pass on their contact details to any potential future employers. They should be ready and willing to answer a phone call or email to provide information to complement your job application or résumé.
What do I need to tell them?
Make sure you ask about the correct name, position title and current contact details to use for each of your referees. Let them know that you are applying for jobs and that they may be contacted and asked to answer some questions about you. You could also let them know a little bit about the job you are applying for, for example a job description, and the name of the company who may contact them.
Employers will not be impressed if referees sound surprised when they are called. This makes it look like you aren’t any good at communication or organisation.
How many do I need?
The job advertisement will often tell you how many referee contacts they need. However the usual number is two or three. If you've got more than that, pick the ones which best match the job requirements and who will be easiest for the employer to contact.What about written references?
Most employers prefer to talk to a referee in person, so you should make sure they won't be overseas or unavailable when you expect the call to come. But there are situations where written references are useful.
A written reference is like a letter from your referee to any future employer and includes a description of:
- The kind of work you did
- How well you did it
- What you were like to work with
Should I include references with my résumé when applying for jobs?
Contact details for referees should be the last thing on your résumé. Some people prefer to write ‘references provided upon request’ as the last sentence on their résumé and wait until asked to provide contact details for referees.
If you have written references, you should consider including one or two with your cover letter and résumé, but only if they relate specifically to the skills or experience required for the job you’re applying for. Otherwise it’s best to leave all your references and certificates at home - employers probably won’t be as excited about them as you are!
What if I get the job?
You should always thank your referees after you know the result of your job application, whether you got the job or not. Even if you were unsuccessful, your referees may have some valuable information about the questions they were asked. This kind of inside information could really help you with your next attempt.More information
For more information on writing job applications, check out our Writing a cover letter and Writing a resume pages.
