References on a resume: should you include them in 2026?
Leave references off the resume. Here is what an ATS extracts, when employers actually request referees, and what to put in the space you free up.
Jordan Reyes · · 10 min
Careers Editor
Jordan writes the resume, cover letter and interview guides - the parts of the search that happen before anyone presses Apply. Every example comes from a real job title.
Leave references off the resume. Here is what an ATS extracts, when employers actually request referees, and what to put in the space you free up.
Jordan Reyes · · 10 minSend it within a day, keep it to four lines, and spend one of them on the answer you fumbled. Here is the structure, line by line, with an example.
Jordan Reyes · · 9 minGive one number anchored to the BLS median for the industry you are applying into - not the occupation median. Here is how to pick it and say it.
Jordan Reyes · · 8 minTwo complete cover letters under 120 words - Bookkeeper and UX Designer - with the public task list every sentence was built from, and the lines to cut first.
Jordan Reyes · · 9 minAmbos los interpretan. Aquí lo que dicen Greenhouse, Workday, SmartRecruiters y Ashby sobre los tipos de archivos que aceptan, los límites de tamaño que silenciosamente bloquean las subidas, y cuál debo enviar.
Jordan Reyes · · 9 minA phone screen is a routing decision, not a hiring one. Here are the questions, what each one resolves, and the two that quietly end it.
Jordan Reyes · · 9 minDos páginas, y ningún sistema de selección automatizada lo dice de otra manera. Lo que realmente limitan los proveedores, qué debe incluirse en la segunda página y qué debe eliminarse.
Jordan Reyes · · 10 minFederal agencies now cap resumes at two pages. Here is what USAJOBS requires on the page, what OPM checks, and how it differs from a commercial resume.
Jordan Reyes · · 9 minName a weakness the job does not depend on, say what it costs you, then say what you do about it. With O*NET work style scores for two roles.
Jordan Reyes · · 9 minThe closing paragraph has one job - point at the next thing. Here are the four lines that belong in it, the sign-off to use, and the sentence to delete.
Jordan Reyes · · 10 minLa segunda entrevista deja de probar si podrías hacer el trabajo y comienza a probar cómo harías el suyo. Aquí van las preguntas que siguen y por qué.
Jordan Reyes · · 9 minColoque ambos títulos bajo un bloque de empresa, cada uno con sus propios fechas. Aquí está el formato exacto, por qué el parser lo necesita y la versión que falla.
Jordan Reyes · · 9 minUn correo con las guías de la semana. Sin spam, puedes darte de baja en cualquier momento.
Sube tu CV, responde unas pocas preguntas y deja que HeroApply se encargue del resto. Gratis para comenzar.