CV Tips: Should You Say ”References Available Upon Request” ?

By Elizabeth Benu

I recently received an email saying, “I am not comfortable with my references. This is because I have not called them and I want to buy time and ensure they vouch for me. Should I just say ‘references available upon request’ or is it wrong.”

It is clear that Mary Ochieng’ knows the importance of references in a CV. The question is whether to include your references or not.

The Answer:
Should you say “references available upon request?”

“Referees are people who attest to your qualifications and can discuss your skills and attributes. It is therefore important to choose people who can genuinely provide that information to a Human resource manager,” confirms Florence Mukunya, a Certified CV writer and career advisor at Corporate Staffing Services.

“When it comes to hiring, the HR Manager wants someone who can verify your ability to work. It is not advisable to say the references are available upon request because there is no time to call you and ask for your references,” she adds.

She says that including your references saves the employer time and it shows your enthusiasm for the job.

When writing down the references include the name, job title, company, address, phone number and email address of each of your references.

For example:
John The Manager
Managing Director
ABC Company
1046 Nairobi
0744778899
[email protected]