References should not be included in your resume. Instead, there should be a phrase “References available upon request” at the end of your resume and a separate reference list (of people to contact to receive your references) or written references (in this case it is appropriate to write down numbered list of names and titles of the references under the subtitle “References” at the end of the resume ).
When references were not requested previously, it is recommended not to give your references to the interviewer before the interview because of:
1. You not being sure you will work on this position. It is necessary, first, to find out as much information about the work and what it includes as possible, so that you can decided for yourself whether or not you want to take up the job. Your references shouldn’t be contacted unnecessarily.
2. You being interested in letting your references beforehand know the kind of post you want to take up. Better references are given by references that have been preliminary notified. This gives you a chance to highlight the most significant questions touched upon at the interview and make sure that your references mention your specific abilities (combined with the examples) concerning this exact problem.
The right time to hand in your list of references is when the interviewer asks you for one and you are certain you want this job.
Written References vs. Reference List
Written references provide evaluation of your achievements, accomplishments and traits of character given by some authoritative person (former employer, co-worker, customer, instructor, etc). Usually the information in the reference letter describes the person from a positive side emphasizing his/her strengths and providing supportive examples.
Nevertheless, the employer may also request a desire to contact references directly, so that he/she finds out some specific information relevant to the job and verifies the reliability of the references provided. So, it is a common practice that you will need to provide a reference list.
Tip: it is useful to have both a reference list and written references from at least three reliable sources (it is better to have five of them). They should be ready before the resume is sent.
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