References on Resumes

It's that time of year again where students in their last year of college start looking pretty seriously for jobs. If you are someone updating your resume be sure you keep it real. A recent Business Week article titled Imaginary Friends listed some interesting stats:

• CareerBuilder recently surveyed 2,500 hiring managers and discovered that 30 percent regularly find false or misleading references on applicants’ CVs.
• CareerBuilder estimates 80 percent of employers check reference, often before they call someone in for an interview.
• The most common mistake applicants make is listing someone as a reference because they’ve got an impressive title—even though they barely know that person. 

Keep it real. keep it honest. Be sure to contact people you list and give them a heads up. Tell them what you are looking for and why. You can also give them some hints on what you would like them to say.