It’s no longer enough to write, “References available upon request,” on the bottom of your résumé.

          If you are applying for a job, you need a written list of your references when you go to the interview and even before that.

          “Sometimes it depends on what websites you use,” says Kristin Carpenter, director of human resources for San Diego-based Garden Fresh Restaurant Corp. “Now with applicant tracking systems, it may require you to include references.”

          Garden Fresh owns 111 Souplantation and Sweet Tomatoes restaurants.

          You may also hand over the list to the interviewer. That makes it easy for your would-be employer to quickly call or e-mail your former co-workers to get some favorable comments about you. Be sure to include your contacts’ names, phone numbers, e-mail addresses, and their job titles.

          Don’t forget to let people know you are listing them as references in your job search. You don’t want them to be surprised when someone contacts them. Also, you want them to provide your potential new boss with words that will encourage them to hire you.

          “A lot of companies have policies where they will only provide your dates of employment, position and salary,” Carpenter says.

          So tell your supervisor to expect a call, she adds.

          “If you haven’t given your supervisor a heads-up, they may not do it,” he says. “They might give the dates, position and salary, and that’s not much of a reference.”

          Wendy Winter-Searcy, president of Colorado Career Development Association, says employers do check references, so job applicants should try to control the process.

          “I think it’s helpful to take good care of your references,” she says. “First ask them permission, then update them on specific skills you want them to focus on.”

          In your list, you will need to include a former supervisor, the person you reported to and worked with the most. Don’t bother to list someone who held a loftier position at the company if they never really worked with you.

          “More important is the quality of the relationship and how that person knows your work style and your professional image,” Winter-Searcy says.
          Carpenter says that if you are a chef and you worked for a high-profile chef, include that person.

          “That is a very niche job that people are applying for,” she says. “In that case I think if they had some well-known chefs on their reference list, it could be advantageous to add that.”

          Also include your co-workers. Carpenter says people with whom you became friends will be willing to provide more than dates of employment. They can talk about how reliable you are and how you handle a dinner rush, for example.


          Winter-Searcy agrees that you should include co-workers on your list.

                            “A co-worker sometimes can be a great reference because they can speak to your day-to-day work and your work ethic,” she says. “Double-check to make sure they will give you a good reference. You don’t want something to stand in the way of an opportunity.”

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