How to Write a Job Reference Page

resume reference page template

Writing the resume reference page that gets you the job

The purpose of a reference page is give contact of the people who can vouch for your skills, character, and abilities. Employers will see a list of people who can vouch for you as guarantors of the information that you have provided. You will need a reference page in your resume to have this information. To employers, it is not just about giving names and addresses, it is also about how you write the reference page.

Here is how to write a reference page that will show your professionalism in handling the application and one that can help you stand out from the crowd. It all begins with understanding the purpose of the reference page

Why you need a reference page

In most of the jobs that you will be applying for, you will not need a reference page until you are done with the interview. For this reason, do not include your reference page with the rest of the resume unless you are asked to.

The reference page comes after the interview as a source to verify the information that you have provided. If you wrote on your resume that you worked for a particular company for five years and listed your job description, the prospective employers will need to verify this information and they will use the reference page to contact the person in the organization that you worked under.

The reference page is also a page that provides an avenue through which the prospective employers can get a second opinion of who you are from a person that knows you better. In this case, the time of contact with the persons listed will matter a lot.

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Asking someone to be your reference

There are two types of reference. There is the professional reference who knows your professionally and can vouch for your abilities and behaviors as a worker and there is the personal reference who can vouch for your character. None of this should be your relative in any way or a guardian. Your personal reference may be your church leader, school counselor, instructor, or even mentor. Your professional reference should be a former supervisor, co-worker, human resource personnel or team leader.

It will be easy to ask someone to be a personal reference. This person should be close to you and share your interest to succeed in life. When asking for professional reference, ask the person to do so out of professional courtesy with a personal touch. This means that you will be asking for a favor and not as an obligation. You will also request them to put a good word for you.

All you need to do is make a humble request for you to list them as your referenced and ask them to give a good word for you. You should then ask them to give you an address that is suitable for this purpose.

Creating the reference page

You should use the same letter head that is in your resume. That means that your name and address should appear as the letterhead. You will then add the references in the following format starting with your professional references then ending with a personal reference. In total, they should be a minimum of three

Important points to include in your reference page:

  • Name
  • Title
  • Company
  • Street Address
  • City, State and Zip
  • Work Phone Home phone (for personal reference)
  • Relationship

 

resume reference letter template