Should You Add References Available Upon Request to Your Resume or CV?

What Does References Available Upon Request Mean?

References available upon request is a phrase commonly found at the bottom of a resume. It is meant to communicate that the candidate has a list of people who can back up their candidacy.

But in 2024, is this phrase effective or simply distracting business jargon? Keep scrolling for the answer.

Should You Add References Available Upon Request to a Resume?

While the phrase once served an important purpose, you no longer need to say references available upon request on your resume. Recruiters themselves label the extra sentence as “wasteful.”

The term is outdated. Here are three reasons why saying references available upon request doesn’t belong in your resume outline:

• Most employers already know they can ask you for professional references if they want them. There’s no need to state the obvious.
• The phrase may make the employer wonder why you don’t simply provide the references — do you have something to hide?
• Your resume should be concise, no more than one to two pages. This line is a waste of valuable real estate.

The final point is important. It’s only one sentence, but you can use the extra space to expand your resume profile or objective statement.

If you eliminate the line, how should you deal with your references? Create a references list. We can show you how to do that.

How to Write a References List

Since most companies check references only if you’re being considered for the role, save your resume space and instead be prepared with a references list. That way, when you’re asked for references, you’ll be ready to go.

Creating a separate list is much better than trying to jam references into your perfectly constructed resume. And, if your interviewer asks for the list, you can give your references a heads up.

Now, here’s the information you should list with each reference:

• Name
• Position
• Company name
• Phone number
• Email address

Next, let’s consider whether this advice would be any different when it comes to a CV.

Should You Add References Available Upon Request to a CV?

While CVs and resumes are different, they are similar in that you don’t need to say references available upon request on your CV. Although CVs are longer, more exhaustive documents, that doesn’t change the fact that a hiring manager knows how to ask for references if they’re interested.

With that out of the way, let’s consider one more question — where is this sentence supposed to go in the first place?