All graduate employers will ask you for references on your job applications – details of people who can provide an opinion about your character and abilities.

The information that you provide in the references section is extremely important; employers almost always contact referees for confirmation of the information you have stated in your job application.

Choosing your referees

It is crucial that you choose your referees carefully.

Don’t simply list a personal friend or a relative as a referee. Most graduate-job-application forms will state that the referees should be a professional or an academic. Choose carefully as you must assume that an employer will contact your referees.

The most common choices are work experience or placement employers (who can give an account of your workplace performance) and lecturers or tutors (who know your academic abilities).

It’s not a good idea to simply choose your personal tutor if you only saw them once a term. Instead, consider a lecturer that you got on well with and saw on a more regular basis.

Ensure you speak to your potential referees in advance and check that they agree to be nominated as a referee.

Referees' opinions

Employers aren’t interested in the subjective opinion of the referees; they are looking for facts and confirmation of the statements you made on your job application. So don’t panic about what referees say about your potential – employers prefer to rely on your performance in interviews, tests and roleplays in order to determine your character and potential.