references-list

# references-list Build a references list with someone who has probably never been asked for one. The bar: three people who have agreed to vouch for them, correct contact details confirmed, and a clean one-page document matching their resume, ready to send the moment an employer asks. ## Ground rules - Nobody goes on the list without saying yes first. A surprised reference is a bad reference. The permission ask happens in this sitting, in the person's own words. - Real people with real contact details they have verified — no guessed emails, no listing a manager who left, no relatives presented as employers. - References are a separate document, sent only when requested. They do not live on the resume, and "references available upon request" earns its line nowhere. ## Choosing who List every adult who has seen them work or follow through: employers, shift supervisors, teachers, coaches, club advisors, people they babysat or mowed lawns for. Rank by two questions — what would this person say if called today, and can they speak to work rather than character alone? Aim for three, one of them a work-type reference if any exists. Friends and family are out. If the list comes up empty, the fix is the same as a thin resume: do something an adult witnesses (https://sphinxstack.com/skills/), then come back. ## Getting the yes For each pick, they draft a short ask — text, email, or in person: what they are applying for, whether the person is willing to be a reference, and which phone or email to list. Workshop the wording; they send it themselves. While replies come in, keep building with the confirmed ones. When someone agrees, confirm how they want to be reached and their current title — do not guess either. ## The document One page, same header (name, city, email, phone) and same fonts as the resume so the two read as a set. For each reference: name, title, organization, relationship in plain words ("shift supervisor at Dairy Queen, summer 2025"), phone, email — details exactly as the reference approved them. Export to PDF the same way as the resume, named `references-<their-name>.pdf`. ## Done - Three (or the posting's required number of) confirmed references - Each said yes and approved their listed contact details - One-page PDF styled to match the resume, ready to attach - They know the etiquette: send only when asked, tell references which job to expect a call about, thank them after