Choosing References

Select at least three references with direct knowledge of your job/work/professional performance who can provide honest, objective information about you. Formally ask these people if they are willing to serve as your references during your job search or for your graduate/professional school applications. Provide them with your resume and any relevant information regarding the position/program for which you are applying to your references so they will be prepared when contacted or when they need to write a letter on your behalf.

From Where	Good References	Bad References
Academic Department	Professors	Friends
Laboratory	Academic Advisors	Family
Job/Internship	Teaching Assistants	Relatives
Community Service	Supervisors
Classes	Bosses
Active Co-Curricular Acts.	Directors

Additional Tips

You can choose to add a simple line at the end of the resume “References available upon request” or leave it off.
Make sure that your font, paper, and formatting are the same on your reference sheet and resume.
Follow up with your references on the status of your job search.

What to Include

On a separate page from your resume, cut and paste your resume heading (your name and conatct information).Bucky B. Badger
1440 Monroe Street
Madison, WI 53711
(608) 262-1866
bucky@wisc.edu
Include the following information from your reference: Name, position and/or relation to you, place of employment, complete address, phone number, emailJohn Smith, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Department of Dairy Science
1234 Agriculture Hall
1450 Linden Drive
Madison, WI 53706
Phone: (608) 123-4567
Email: jsmith@wisc.edu

***Include three references ***See the print version at the top of the page for a sample

Choosing References