Your references are an important tool at your disposal that can be very useful in helping you to secure your ideal job. This is because there isnt a much more effective marketing resource for yourself than your references. Although a strong resume and cover letter are your best chance of initially attracting an employers interest, your references are so powerful due to the fact that they provide positive information about you from someone other than yourself. This is invaluable information to a potential employer. So, with such a powerful tool in your back pocket, it is important to know when exactly the best time to release this information to an employer is.

Oftentimes, an employer will ask you to supply them with a list of your references prior to offering you a job. They will want to contact your references to make sure the information youve supplied them with is correct, and also to find out what type of worker you are and what your past accomplishments entailed. So, make sure that your references are ready to sing your praises because this is a very important part of the employment process.

Since the main reason an employer should contact your references is to verify information youve provided them with and to delve deeper into what you have to offer, your references are meant to be used after an interview. This means that you should not be handing out your references until asked to at an interview. Your references are your secret weapon, so you should protect them until the moment theyre needed.

If you give out your references too freely or even place them on your resume, you may run into trouble with the people youve asked to speak on your behalf. If your references are contacted too often, they could get annoyed or upset and you dont want to upset the very people that are helping you out. As your reference information is somewhat private contact information, you will want to be protective of this, only revealing them at an interview for an employer for whom you really want to work.

Another advantage of holding onto your references until later is that you will be able to select the best people for that particular position or company you are interviewing with. You may have multiple references from a variety of professional experiences where some are more tailored to one position than others. This way, youll be sure to provide an employer with the most appropriate references. So manage your reference data carefully.

Lastly, if you happen to run into a job ad that asks for your references with your application, simply state that you will be more than willing to provide your excellent references at an interview. Or, you can provide the names of your references but withhold the contact information, stating that you will provide this information at an interview.

Remember that your references contain confidential information and that your references contact information is not something that you should be handing out to anybody. It is also one of your most powerful marketing tools, so use them with caution and release them at the appropriate momentat an interview.

Candace Davies is the owner of A+ Resumes for Teachers and is a Certified Resume Writer and Interview Coach Strategist who is dedicated to assisting teachers, administrators and other professionals within the education sector. She has helped countless teaching professionals land their dream teaching jobs. Let her help you land your dream teaching job by visiting: resumes-for-teachers.com. Also, you wont want to miss out on getting a free preview of her best-selling e-book, Teachers Interview Edge, when you sign-up for Candaces FREE A+ Career Curriculum e-newsletter: resumes-for-teachers.com/signup-details.php.