References

[lamer35]

i have noticed in some job postings that references are required and, more specifically, that they should be "professional." does this mean you can use people you have worked with or does it mean a manager/supervisor? how does this even work? wouldn't they not be cooperative in being a reference if you have left or are leaving a position at their organization?

[WorkInProgress]

That probably depends on the circumstances surrounding the reasons you've left a job, and your relationship with your boss/company while you worked for them.

[cache]

there are several types of references:

Professional: Supervisors, co-workers, business accosicates(people from other companies with whom you had a business relationship e.g. clients, suppliers, etc)

Educational: professors, advisors, etc.

Community: religious leaders, community leaders, etc. People with whom you spend your personal time with doing something e.g. director of the place you volunteer at

Personal: Friends, relatives

Most places want professional and maybe educational(depending on your field and experience since college). Just in case, you should have 4 professional, 3 educational, 2 community, and 2 personal references.

You don't provide all of these, but have the information so that you can easily provide it within a short period of time without having to dig up addresses, phone numbers, etc.


But to your question: That is the reason they ask for references. If you have left every job you've had under bad terms, and can come up with no professional references, then the requirement of having references serves its purpse: weed out those candidates who have a less than stellar professional work history.

[winneythepooh7]

Originally Posted by lamer35

i have noticed in some job postings that references are required and, more specifically, that they should be "professional." does this mean you can use people you have worked with or does it mean a manager/supervisor? how does this even work? wouldn't they not be cooperative in being a reference if you have left or are leaving a position at their organization?

For me, since I hire, when I say "professional" I mean ONLY people who've supervised you directly. I don't trust "colleagues" at all. Usually "colleagues" translates to "friend" from what I've seen. If someone is just starting out, I will often bend slightly and let them get a professor or field instructor who would also have a good idea of their work ethic, dedication and credibility. If you can't provide professional references, that's a red flag to me. I think if you don't want to use your current supervisor if you are planning on leaving, you should tell the place that you are interviewing at. But I feel that you should at least have access to 3 individuals who are not friends that would be able to know about your work ethic.

[CityGal]

You can use co-workers and supervisors, but for professional refs please don't use your family members or priest. We had a field day with that one at our office.

[winneythepooh7]

Originally Posted by CityGal

You can use co-workers and supervisors, but for professional refs please don't use your family members or priest. We had a field day with that one at our office.

I still don't think "co-workers" is appropriate. It should be someone who has directly supervised your work. I constantly get family members. Baby daddies. Girlfriends. You name it.

[lamer35]

That makes sense. I was unsure because my primary references have always been school-related. I would personally prefer to use professional references from prior jobs, but they were not as long as my current job. Is it more about selecting the references you feel have the most comprehensive view of your work or those that are the most recent?

[wordsmith]

I won't use my current boss as a primary professional reference unless the place I'm interviewing has given me the option of opting out of having him contacted until an offer is made. Most prospective employers understand that you are not necessarily going to want to advertise to your current boss that you're looking elsewhere for employment.

If I were unemployed and job searching, I'd give my previous boss as a professional reference. But my current? Only if I were sure they'd only contact once an offer was being extended. It does me no good to have my employer finding out that way that I'm looking to leave.