Your IT Resume

Job References and personal references can make the difference between receiving an offer or not receiving an offer, so be prepared.

There is more to providing references than just writing a few names on a piece of paper.

Preparing references involves two main areas:

1. the information and how you present it;
    
2. the references themselves.

Have your references available

Have your references available to be given to an interviewer when they are requested. A reference request is a good indication that the interviewer wants to find out more about you. They are interested in you.

How many references?

The number and type of references requested will vary from organization to organization. So be prepared with a range of references. It is not unusual to need three (3) supervisors, two (2) peers and one (1) personal reference.

Be organized

Your references should be organized in detail on a standard sheet of paper. Your name and telephone number should be at the top of the page, just as it appears on your resume and IT Technical Skills Summary. i.e.:

References for Joe Itguru
Home telephone: 416-xxx-xxxx.

Always have at least 5 copies on hand when you go to an interview.

Required reference information

Each reference should include the following information:

• Their full name.
• Their relationship to you … supervisor, peer or personal.

Supervisor

All prospective employers and recruiters will want work references from current and former employers. It is not uncommon to be asked for Supervisors going back two, three or four jobs. Some employers want a list of employers and your immediate supervisor going back for ten years.

• Their full name
• The name of the organization where you reported to them
• Their title at that organization
• The time period that you reported to them
• Their current direct telephone number at work
• The name of their current employer

Peer

• Their full name
• The name of the organization where you worked with them
• Their title at that organization
• The time period that you worked with them
• Their current direct telephone number at work
• The name of their current employer

Personal

• Their full name;
• For a personal reference, provide a brief sentence about how you know the person and for how long;
• Their current place of employment;
• Their current title or position;
• Their current home and office telephone number.

That’s a lot of information

It is only the minimum information required for an interviewer to do a reference check. If you do not know the current job, title and phone number for a reference, then you have not, more than likely, talked to the reference. If you have talked to them, call them back and get the information that you need.

Talk to your references

To effectively use your references you need to do more than just talk to them. Let’s review what steps you can take to have your references actually help you to get a job that you have interviewed for.

Table of Contents

• 01. Your job and work references can make the difference
• 02. Working with your references