How To Choose Which References To Use On Your CV

Many of us have held multiple jobs in the past, but there is an art to choosing the right reference which so many people miss.

The good news is YOU get to decide who to include as a reference on your CV or on an application form. It’s something you can control. Rather than simply listing your last two employers and the dates you’ve worked there, get creative and try another approach.

Instead, try to identify a small collection of ‘champions’. People who will gladly provide you with a reference but will likely go the extra mile in singing your praises. Of course, what they say needs to be true, but it’s the delivery that’s important. Their enthusiasm is what you need, and what your next employer will recognise. 

Here are 5 tips on how to identify your champions:

1. Choose Someone Who You Know Likes And Values You

“It’s who you know, not what you know” is a cliché, but it has an element of truth.

If you still maintain a friendly relationship with a former employer or even someone who was your manager in a previous job, then consider them as a reference.

People who like you are more likely to say positive things about you and will be happy to do you a favour.

2. Choose A Person To Be Your Champion, Not A Company

This is important. So many of us simply put the name of our former employer down, along with the dates we worked there. Don’t do this.

Apply some of tip 1’s advice, instead of putting the contact down as the office address, email, or phone number, provide the email address or the number of a person that works/worked there when you did.

Instead of just confirming you worked there, this person will be able to elaborate on what you did and why it was of value. It’s so much more powerful and makes you look like a human being and not a statistic.

Always alert this person first to get their blessing, and to make sure they’re not caught off guard by the reference request. They may willingly become your champion.

3. Don’t Include Anywhere Your Bridges Were Burned

This should go without saying but it’s amazing how many people still do it. Lots of us have worked somewhere and parted ways while burning our bridges in the process. We may have been let go or walked out. It may be our fault, or it may not be.

If you were treated poorly then leaving the way you did may be entirely justified. The employer doesn’t need to give you a bad reference, they’ll just give you a basic and unenthusiastic one. This can speak volumes, and technically they are doing nothing wrong.

If you absolutely have to use this employer for a reference,  then refer to tip 2 and choose a champion to represent your time there instead of the company itself. 

4. Include Relevant Experience

Include references from previous employers and people who work in a similar field to your new position.

Did you do your degree in journalism and are now applying to work for a big website’s writing staff? Then your time as a barista may not be that relevant, nor is a reference from the person who’s managed that coffee shop for ten years.

Remember your reference doesn’t need to be from paid work, have you ever done an internship or work experience somewhere industry-related such as your local newspaper? This will be far more powerful.

5. Include Recent References If You Can

Your references will need to be from people or companies that you’ve worked for recently. Including a reference from so long ago will confuse employers and make them think you’ve got something to hide.