References on your CV – worth including or not?

A reference is a person who can judge your previous work from first-hand experience and is willing to do so on request. Typically these are former line managers, project leads, clients or – in academic careers – supervising professors.

That differs from a letter of recommendation. That is a written document someone produces about you and which you attach to your file. In the German context it is less common than the Arbeitszeugnis, but it can complement it – especially for academic applications, scholarships or international employers.

The third term that often gets mixed in is the project reference: not a person but a work result – a client list for the self-employed, a publication, a public portfolio or a repository. That is evidence too, but it follows different rules.

For your CV this means: if you include a „References“ section, it should be obvious which of the three you mean. A mix of names, projects and links quickly looks unsorted.

Read more: German CV: structure and standards · Applying in Germany: the full process · Application portfolios: work samples and project evidence

In a classic German application references are the exception. The reason is structural: because every employee is entitled to a qualified written reference, a standardised written record already exists. An additional reference section can then look redundant.

It becomes useful as soon as that basis is missing or weak. That applies to international professionals without written references, to the self-employed and freelancers with no employer, to people coming out of agency-based project work, and to graduate applications where supervisors or internship leads are the only professional witnesses.

A second case is the signal it sends. Naming a reference shows that former managers are willing to speak positively about working with you. Where your CV raises a question – a short stint, a change of industry – that removes an open point for the HR team.

Against a reference section speaks the space it takes. A German CV should run one to two pages. If contact details for three people fill half a page that could carry professional content instead, the price is too high. In that case put the note at the very end – short, one line, without contact details.

And one practical point: references only work when they are reachable and prepared. A contact who does not pick up or is caught off guard by the call does more damage than no reference at all.

Read more: Applying after graduation · CV for career changers

In the US, Canada, the UK, Australia and much of Asia the reference system replaces the written reference. Employers there usually issue only an employment verification letter confirming position and period. The qualitative assessment happens in a phone call with the named referee, often shortly before an offer.

That is why „References available upon request“ is widespread there – and redundant in Germany. It fills a line without providing information. If you want to offer references, either name them concretely or leave the point out entirely.

Expectations around contacting referees differ too. In Germany a prospective employer may not contact former employers without your consent – and certainly not your current one. Naming a reference implicitly grants that consent for that person. Which is precisely why only people you have asked beforehand belong there.

If you are applying to Germany from abroad, combine both: attach the international documents you have and additionally name one or two referees to compensate for the missing German-style assessment. A short explanation that written references are not customary in your home country puts it in context for HR.

Read more: CV for international applicants · Applying in English or German?

A good reference meets three conditions: the person worked with you directly, can judge your performance professionally, and their role is relevant to the target job. Your former direct manager is therefore almost always the strongest choice.

Also strong: the lead of a larger project you contributed to, a long-standing client for the self-employed, the practice supervisor in nursing roles, the supervisor of a thesis for graduates, or a manager on the client side for consulting work.

Formally, a reference entry needs four elements: name, current role and company, the type of collaboration with its period, and a way to make contact. For example: „Dr Anna Berger, Head of Quality Assurance, Muster GmbH – direct line manager 2021–2024, contact on request.“

Two references are almost always enough, three is the maximum. More looks like an attempt to compensate for missing substance. Place the section at the end of the CV, after skills and before or instead of interests.

If you would rather not leave contact details inside a circulating document – a legitimate data-protection concern – give name and role and add „contact details on request“. That serves the purpose and protects the person from unwanted calls.

For the self-employed a project reference often replaces the person: „Selected projects: online shop relaunch (retail, 2024), ERP migration (manufacturing, 2023)“. That provides the same credibility without involving third parties.

Read more: ATS-friendly CV · CV with professional experience

The most serious mistake is naming someone without asking. That risks a surprised, unprepared or unwilling response. Ask in advance, briefly explain the kind of role you are applying for, and give the person the option to decline.

Second mistake: your current employer. As long as the employment relationship is ongoing and not terminated, nobody from your current company belongs on the list. It jeopardises your position and looks ill-considered.

Third mistake: references with no link to the role. A club chairman or the boss of a school-days side job proves nothing for a specialist position. Tailor the selection to the target job, just as you should with the CV itself.

Fourth mistake: outdated contact details. Before every application round, check that role, company and phone number are still correct. An unreachable reference is worse than none.

Fifth mistake: technical implementation. References inside table cells, in headers and footers, or as graphics are frequently misread by applicant tracking systems. Use plain body text under a clear „References“ heading.

Sixth mistake: wrong expectations. References practically never decide the invitation – they matter in the final selection. The invitation itself depends on how well your documents cover the requirements of the job ad.

Read more: Why ATS rejects applications · Using ATS keywords correctly

The topic often comes up only in the interview. Expect to be asked whether you can name references – a prepared answer with two names comes across far more confidently than thinking on the spot.

If contact is actually made, it usually happens by phone and takes a few minutes. Typical questions cover the period, duties, how you worked in a team and whether working together again would be conceivable. Brief your referee about the role in advance so they can give relevant examples.

Afterwards, a short update belongs to good practice – regardless of the outcome. It is not only polite but keeps the person willing to help again in future.

If you are unsure whether your documents even reach that stage: check the match first. Comparing your CV with the job ad shows within minutes which required terms are missing – and that decides invitations far more often than any reference list.

Read more: Job interviews in Germany · Free ATS check

• References are optional in Germany, not the standard.
• They pay off when written references are missing or weak.
• Two to three people at most – always ask them first.
• Never name your current employer.
• „References on request“ alone adds no value.
• Give name, role, type and period of collaboration.
• Place them as plain text at the end of the CV.

References on a German CV are neither mandatory nor a mistake – they are a tool for specific situations. Where written references are missing, weak or fail to reflect the work, they build trust and answer open questions before they are asked.

Where complete written references exist, the space on the page is better used for professional content. So decide by your actual situation rather than habit – and make sure beforehand that your documents match the requirements of the job ad.

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