How to List References on a Resume with Examples, Tips, and Guide
Head of Career Advising
Head of Career Advising
Published: September 3, 2025When a company is interested in moving forward with your candidacy, they might want to speak with former colleagues and managers to ensure that you’re legit and a good fit for their organization. References help with this, and in this guide, we’ll walk you through how to list your references clearly and concisely.
Should I List References on My Resume?
No. While this was a standard practice in the past, now it’s generally recommended to highlight your references on a separate document, and send only when requested. This is for a number of reasons related to space on the resume, the hiring timeline, and need.
Who Should I List as a Reference?
Generally speaking, a reference can be someone whom you’ve worked with in a professional capacity and someone you know personally. It could be a former supervisor, a colleague, a client, a team member you managed, someone you did volunteer work with, or a friend who can speak to your character. For recent graduates without any work history, consider including a professor, a former mentor, or someone you volunteered with. Their purpose is to give hiring managers a better sense of your character and who you are as an industry professional before bringing you into their organization.
How do I List My References?
Listing your references is relatively simple. On a separate document, include the individual’s name, company, email, phone number, and current position. You can also write a brief description of your relationship with the reference. One sentence should be sufficient. Be sure to use a clear and readable font such as Cambria, Calibri, Arial, or Times New Roman.
Example #1
Name: Jesse Martin
Position: Nurse Manager
Company: Mercy General Hospital
Telephone: (123) 456-7891
Email: [email protected]
Relationship: Jesse was my direct supervisor for three years in the medical-surgical unit at Mercy General Hospital.
Name: Skyler Lewis
Position: Registered Nurse
Company: Mercy General Hospital
Telephone: (123) 456-7891
Email: [email protected]
Relationship: Skyler and I worked side by side on the evening shift, collaborating on patient care and discharge planning.
Name: Chris Jackson
Position: Registered Nurse
Company: County Regional Health
Telephone: (123) 456-7891
Email: [email protected]
Relationship: Chris and I worked together for two years in the emergency department, coordinating treatment for high-acuity patients.
Example #2
Name: Logan Hall
Position: Senior Software Engineer
Company: NovoLogic Solutions
Telephone: (123) 456-7891
Email: [email protected]
Relationship: Logan was my team lead for over two years on a cloud migration and web app development team.
Name: Reese King
Position: Front-End Developer
Company: NovoLogic Solutions
Telephone: (123) 456-7891
Email: [email protected]
Relationship: Reese and I partnered closely on UI development and component integration across multiple Agile sprints.
Name: Avery Harris
Position: Full Stack Developer
Company: CodeCraft Labs
Telephone: (123) 456-7891
Email: [email protected]
Relationship: Avery and I collaborated on cross-functional teams to develop and test API integrations during our time at CodeCraft Labs.
Example #3
Name: Blake Allen
Position: Principal
Company: Maple Hill Elementary School
Telephone: (123) 456-7891
Email: [email protected]
Relationship: Blake was my direct supervisor and evaluated my classroom performance and curriculum implementation during my five years at Maple Hill.
Name: Devon Young
Position: Special Education Teacher
Company: Maple Hill Elementary School
Telephone: (123) 456-7891
Email: [email protected]
Relationship: Devon and I co-taught inclusive lessons and collaborated on IEP support for shared students in the classroom.
Name: Sam Wright
Position: Fourth Grade Teacher
Company: Ridgeview Charter School
Telephone: (123) 456-7891
Email: [email protected]
Relationship: Sam and I worked on grade-level planning and led joint family literacy night events during two academic years.
Example #4
Name: Jesse Martin
Position: Finance Director
Company: Farwell Tech Partners
Telephone: (123) 456-7891
Email: [email protected]
Relationship: Jesse was my direct manager and reviewed all reporting deliverables and forecasting models I built for executive teams.
Name: Skyler Lewis
Position: Senior Financial Analyst
Company: Farwell Tech Partners
Telephone: (123) 456-7891
Email: [email protected]
Relationship: Skyler and I collaborated on quarterly budgets, variance analysis, and cost modeling across multiple departments.
Name: Chris Jackson
Position: Staff Accountant
Company: WestBridge Manufacturing
Telephone: (123) 456-7891
Email: [email protected]
Relationship: Chris and I worked together on monthly reconciliations and financial audits while supporting the manufacturing finance team.
Example #5
Name: Shawn White
Position: Director of Marketing
Company: PulseTrend Media
Telephone: (123) 456-7891
Email: [email protected]
Relationship: Shawn was my direct supervisor and oversaw my campaign strategies, performance reviews, and team leadership development.
Name: Logan Hall
Position: Paid Media Strategist
Company: PulseTrend Media
Telephone: (123) 456-7891
Email: [email protected]
Relationship: Logan and I collaborated on cross-channel paid media campaigns that aligned with my team’s content and SEO strategy.
Name: Avery Harris
Position: Content Marketing Specialist
Company: Lumex Software
Telephone: (123) 456-7891
Email: [email protected]
Relationship: Avery and I partnered on blog, email, and landing page content while working together on the Helio product launch.
Contact Your References Ahead of Time
Reach out to your references at the start of your job search. The last thing you want is to find yourself scrambling to gather references at the last minute when a company is interested in bringing you on. This also gives the reference time to prepare. Once an organization informs you they’ll be reaching out, give your contacts another heads-up so that they can schedule the conversation.
Frequently Asked Questions About How to List References with Examples, Tips, and Guide
How many references should I provide?
This number is not defined, but you’re going to want a mix of business and personal contacts. Again, for the personal contacts, make sure they are people who are prepared to speak to your character and give specific examples of their perspective.
How do I list references with no experience?
New graduates can list references the same way as everyone else. Refer to the above section Who Should I List as a Reference for details.
Why shouldn’t I list references on my resume?
There are several reasons to avoid listing your references on a resume. To start, providing references before you are asked feels premature; employers haven’t yet had the chance to evaluate your qualifications and experience. Secondly, including this information can take up space on the resume that could be used to address the company’s needs and prove through impact and results why they should hire you . Listing references has largely fallen out of favor.
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