Writing · 2026-08-22 · 12 min read

References on a CV: when to add them and “available on request”

Why “available on request” is wasted space, when to attach a contact, and how not to burn your current manager. ClarCV.

“References available on request” is the most repeated and least useful line on a Spanish CV. It is not a keyword. It does not open interviews. It eats two lines that could be an achievement. People search “references on a CV” because a 2015 Word file or a template left the block empty. Short answer: in most private processes in Spain, do not put them on the PDF. Have them ready for when they are asked.

This guide covers when to list a name (public sector, academia, some UK processes), how not to burn your current manager, what you need permission to share, and how recovered space improves parsing. It sits with what not to put and emailing the CV: references belong in a second attachment or a later email, not on the first page the ATS filters.

You are not “hiding” that nobody will speak well of you. You are not spending the first screen on a step that comes at verbal offer. Your boss’s phone on a PDF forwarded to twenty people is a problem for them and for you.

Why “available on request” is surplus

Everyone can provide references if the process gets that far. Writing it is like writing “I can attach my ID if asked”. The recruiter assumes yes. ATS does not search for that sentence. All it does is say “this CV follows an old template”. Cut it. If the ad requires “include two references”, then yes: a short block at the end with name, title, company, email, and phone, with prior permission.

• Private process Spain / corporate LatAm: do not list them; keep 2–3 people briefed.
• Ad that requires them: short list at the end, not in the header.
• Academia / grants / some master’s: they often want letters, not phones on the CV.
• UK: “available on request” is fading too; many ask for contacts later.
• Public employment: follow the spec. If the form wants endorsements, they go on the form.

How to have them ready without printing them

Pick two or three people who saw your work (manager, client, internship tutor), not your parent. Brief them before the round starts. Share the role and two achievements they can confirm. Ask permission to share email and phone. A separate “Ana_Lopez_references.pdf” only when asked, not as a third unsolicited attachment with the CV.

Do not list your current boss if they do not know you are leaving, unless the process is confidential and they are in on it. A recruiter calling your desk on Tuesday is an expensive way to resign. Use a former manager or a client. If you only have the current boss, say it in interview: “I can provide references after a verbal yes”. That is standard.

LinkedIn recommendations vs the CV

LinkedIn recommendations do not replace a call, but a human recruiter sometimes skims them. Do not paste them in full on the PDF: ATS treats them as a wall of text. “See recommendations on my profile” is surplus; the LinkedIn URL in contact is enough. Align dates and titles with the profile: LinkedIn and CV.

Before sending, the checklist does not include references unless the ad asked. It does include that the PDF parses and that the email subject is clear.

What to do with a PDF that already has them

If your Canva or Word template reserves a third of a page for three contacts, cut it. In ClarCV you upload the file, analysis looks at density and structure, and you regenerate a one-column ATS template. Free: 3 analyses and 2 downloads / 30 days, no card. Pro €7/month. Keep the names in your own note, not on the public document.