You’ve come up with a thoughtful job search plan.  You’ve prepared your resume and proofread it until your eyes watered.  Your cover letter is perfectly crafted.  (By the way, if these don’t apply to you, we can help. . . .)  Now it’s time to put together your list of references.  That will be easy, right?  Just type up some names, phone numbers, and email addresses and Voila!  You’re done with your application!  Right?  Wrong. 

References don’t need to take long, but they do need to be carefully put together.  The good news: so many people just throw their reference list together, that this is an area where it’s easy to stand out.  Just follow three steps to improve your reference list.