Referees on your CV: NZ convention

To list or not to list, and the phrasing that keeps control with you.

The short version

The convention

Referees available on request is the NZ default, and it protects you: nobody gets called without your say-so.

When to list

Only when an ad asks for referees with the CV, and only referees you have briefed recently.

The phrasing that buys time

Name, relationship, available after shortlist, is acceptable when the missing referee is your current employer.

Where Reference Ace fits in

The honest version of this problem is solvable, and it lasts. No usable referee? We check real examples of your work, confirm they're yours, and vouch for them openly as an independent reviewer. Got referees? We brief them properly, run a practice of the exact call employers make, and use the consent rules that keep your current employer out of it until you have signed. Nothing to hide, nothing that unravels in year two.

Common questions

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Do employers like seeing referees on a CV?

It is neutral. Nobody hires you for listing them, and the wrong one listed can hurt.

Should I put referee phone numbers on my CV?

Only if the ad demands it. Otherwise you are inviting uncoordinated calls.

The form demands two referees. Now what?

Past manager plus teammate, both briefed, plus the standard line about your current employer.

No referee? Show us your work

Reference Ace checks real examples of your work, confirms they're yours, and vouches for them to employers by name, always as an independent reviewer and never as a former boss. Got a referee already? We brief them and run the practice check before a real employer calls.

See how it works and pricing