Referencing in CVs matters a lot

A good curriculum vitae (CV) should tell the prospective employer what you’ve done rather what you aspire to do. However, the way you present what you’ve done or your achievements, whether academic or career related, matters a lot.
Dr. Merry Cippe advises that it is better to offer a reference, say of schools or the academic institutions you have gone to rather than listing them. This is very useful more especially if you have applied for job overseas. The prospective employer might not know the history or reputation of the institutions you went to. Given that they don’t have time to find out more about the institutions you went to, it would be beneficial to you if you did so in you CV. Give a brief description of that institution, for example, Makerere University, the oldest and biggest university in East Africa. “Put a reference point around things,” she emphasizes.
Dr. Merry also points out the importance of putting down the best references for yourself on the CV. She says it would do you harm if you put a referee who dislikes you, even when it is your immediate boss. “But, desist from putting pastors as your references.”
In case your reference cannot be easily available on phone, or it might take too long to contact him or her, you should request a recommendation from him or her as a reference point and then attach to your CV. This makes work easier for your prospective employer. This is better than a CV without references, which CV often ends up in the dust bin.
In case you give a reference to some of the best things you like, say a particular book or movie, it should not say something negative about you. For instance, if you say your favourite animal is a hyena, this might suggest that you are greedy.
Joshua Masinde