Do you include references with a resume or bring them to a job interview?

This is an age old question that many before you have asked, and many more will continue to ask.

Most career counsellors today will advise you not to include references. Why? Employers may be biased by talking to your reference before you are interviewed. You want to control access to information about your past performance until after you have been interviewed.

On the other hand, if the employer wants to talk to your references before your interview, they will want to see your references with your resume. They may not even bother to contact or interview you if they don't have references. Also, if you know your references will give you a good reference it doesn't matter if they are contacted before or after the interview.

So as with anything else to do with the world of searching for work, the choice is yours.

If you chose not to include references with your resume, put a statement something like this in the reference section or at the bottom of your resume:

• "References to be supplied upon request"
• "References available on request"


• "References will/to be supplied at an interview"


• "References furnished upon request"


• "Letters of recommendation can be shown at an interview"

Going for an interview is a different story. When you go to a job interview you should have a list of references prepared. The reference list should include:

Generally, the answer is no. But, by all means bring them to an interview. If however, you have lost your job because of downsizing, company mergers, or company bankruptcy, a letter of reference can be very worthwhile to explain the reason for your termination to the prospective employer.