If you have not discovered the Job Search Strategy Guide ebook, you can find it here. Below is an excerpt from the fifth section:
Develop a “Who Loves Me?” Reference List
Develop a list of four to six people who can testify to your specific professional skills and related achievements. Choose from: past/present supervisors, subordinates, peers, customers (internal or external), or vendors.
Plan to prepare each reference as if the person were part of your “marketing team.” Verify that the daytime contact information (phone and e-mail) you have for them is correct. Share your self-introduction commercial and ask the reference to confirm specific skills they saw you use during the time you worked together. Coach them through developing “success stories” that support your identified skills so that they can relate these specific stories to potential employers when contacted.
Send each reference a copy of your current resume. Once references are presented to a potential employer for verification, plan to contact each reference with details about the position you are being considered for so that they can be prepared for a call from the employer.