At some stage in the hiring process you may be asked for your references, as many as 10 names, and may include supervisors, peers, subordinates and personal references. It’s also possible not everyone on your list will be contacted.
Depending on the number of open positions you’re pursuing, and how many references each employer will ask for, you need to establish a large enough pool of names to ensure you don’t wear out anyone’s goodwill from by fielding too many reference calls.
Given such a large possible pool of names they can call, make sure you have each of your references primed and ready to accept the call. At the start of your job search, start pulling together your list of references, asking each for permission to be included. Reaching out now gives you the chance to reconnect with people you’ve not spoken to in a number of months or years, and reduce the awkwardness of a call out of the blue or at the last minute.
Once you’ve established your list, keep each reference up to date with how your search is going and who you’re interviewing with. Let them know about the open position and the skills and experiences you’ve been highlighting. The more information they have the better they will represent you.
When you have to hand over the list of names, make sure you let each reference know that their name has been given out, and who will be calling and in connection to which position.
Some employers will go further than the names you’ve provided and try to speak with others that have not been prepped. There isn’t much that can be done about this, and unless there are some large negatives they may unearth, you needn’t worry too much about it.