Referees

[Skithepowder]

How many referees should you put on your CV, if I've had no job and just left school I could put at least one teacher from my school, probably my form teacher, but do I need more than that right? Who else could I possibly use?

[Sammy Snake]

I think generally most people tend to put 2.  Have your parents got any friends who are business men/teachers/doctors anything like that and would be able to give you a reference?

Until recently I had only had one job since leaving school 20 years ago so when applying for a new job I gave my employer and one of my friends! - It worked, i got the job!

[funkychicken]

You could also put a neighbour or a family friend

[WoWo]

These days I think it's standard practice to say "References available on request" rather than having them listed.

I think in the sort of job you would be going for they will know you have no job history and would therefore expect say a teacher.

What about activities outside of school, scouts, guides, paper rounds etc.

[silly moo]

I used to be involved with the Guide movement, and was occasionally asked to give a reference.
The first is usually work related and a teacher is perfect; the second is often personal and youth leaders, priests, family friends etc are acceptable.

[Bonzo 2000]

I think its good to provide 2 - one professional and one personal.  The professional one could be your favourite ex-teacher who will be able to vouch for your working ability.  The personal referee should be able to vouch for your good character - ideally someone in a position of trust who knows you well, like a BB or Scout leader.

[Sasha13]

As someone who recruits for a living, I think it's a complete waste of time to put anything about references at all on a CV - it's not like I'm going to look at a CV, think 'that person looks good, but I'll just call their reference to check before I even get them in for an interview'. In terms of who to put as a reference if/when you are offered a position there are some good ideas already posted... Teachers - most places are happy for you to have more than one teacher as a reference when you have no work history, family friends (not relatives), Scout/Guide leaders etc. As a school leaver, employers will be more than happy to accept references from two responsible adults who have known you for at least a couple of years. Hope this helps and good luck with the job hunt!

[Skithepowder]

Ok thanks Sasha, what do you thingk about the idea of putting references available on request rather than list them, if I knew two teachers i could ask I could do that, or does that tend to look worse than listing the actual referees?

[Sasha13]

I guess that's a matter of personal taste, but again I wouldn't worry about mentioning references available on request - employers will take it as given that you can provide them with at least two personal references if they offer you a job. If you're going to use teachers as your references I would put two fairly 'important' ones like your head of year and head of school, if you can. That way it doesn't look like you've just picked your two favourites!  :-)