References are people and/or letters of recommendation that support your application for a job opening. They provide information about your skills, abilities, character, and other pertinent employment-related data.

A reference document includes the names of three to five professional, and possibly personal, individuals whom prospective employers may contact to ask about your qualifications, give you a favorable recommendation, and speak about the accuracy of your resume and cover letter. Be prepared provide your references as part of your job search materials. See Chapter 18 in the book, Catch Me When I Fall: A Smooth Landing for the Well-Prepared Job Seeker, for information about formatting a reference document.

It is best to contact the people in advance and ask their permission to use them as a reference. Use references most relevant to your job search. You will need to tell them what kind of information will be helpful in the event that a prospective employer contacts them, including the type of work you are seeking, qualifications required, and information about who may be contacting them. A reference describes your interpersonal skills and ability to get along with coworkers, communication skills, and willingness to follow a manager's lead, dependability, calm temperament, leadership capacity, or problem solving skills. Thank your references in appreciation for their help and support.

Letters of reference from past or present employers, supervisors, customers, or other community leaders should also be provided to prospective employers as part of your job search materials. A letter of reference tells a prospective employer the nature and dates of your working/personal relationship, describes your skills, abilities, and strengths, and provides examples that describe your accomplishments. When asking an employer to write a letter of recommendation, it is best to do so upon leaving a company while the relationship and skills are fresh in their mind. Down the road, your employer will have difficulty resurrecting pertinent information.

A performance evaluation completed by a former supervisor can serve as a type of reference about your work capabilities. In some circumstances, your reference-provider may be receptive and even appreciative if you write a letter on your own behalf that they can simply edit and sign. This saves them time and effort as well as allows you to customize a supportive letter.

Employment laws require that you sign a consent form before employers can discuss your employment background or candidacy for a position. Without your signed consent, information shared between a former and prospective employer should be very limited. Many employers are unfamiliar with the law about sharing employment performance information and run the risk of getting sued if speaking poorly about your work traits. A former employer is legally only allowed to verify the dates of your employment and answer whether or not they would rehire you, and may refuse to speak about a former employee, regardless of favorable performance.

If you are not getting job offers after a given amount of time, one red flag might be your selection of references. For example, you might have a supportive letter of recommendation from a former employer but the same individual speaks poorly about you when asked by a prospective new employer. Or, the former employer may speak favorably as well as negatively. You may want to consider having your Career Counselor or another colleague contact the former employer in a mock-reference check to learn more about what is being said about your qualifications or people-skills. You can then decide if you want to contact the supervisor to address any misunderstanding and whether to continue using that reference.

A frequently asked question is whether to omit employment experience on a resume to avoid a potentially disparaging reference check. It is usually to your advantage to include your work experience on your resume. You might want to briefly tell the interviewer in advance what the former employer may say and briefly explain your side of the story rather than omit important work history.