Ever ask yourself who you can use as your reference? Or, if you even need one? Let me tell you that most companies will ask for a few references and being able to provide them or not could be the deciding factor.
My good friend from high school was always very shy at the beginning of her career, she never worked to build a network so when she applied for jobs, she always left references blank. She never really got the offers she wanted for a long time, or any offers, until she started asking and getting people to agree to be a reference for her.
But, how many is a good number to have? And who can you tap into to help elevate your application?
Check out this great article @Kai Dickerson wrote on Who to use as a reference and why they can make or break your job application. You will find answers to all your questions about references and more. #jobreference #jobsearch #interview #application #resume
I am always ready with 3 or more references,surprisingly the interviewer has never asked me for them or contacted my former employer. The jobs have always been great, fortunately,my good luck I guess. This is a rare thing,so good references are a must.
This is why I try to get along really well with my supervisor and my coworkers. Who else can vouch for you the most that the people that see you perform your job well every day!
Some applications ask for 3-5 references and that's on top of asking you if they can contact your current employer. I have never gotten through an job searching and application process without having to provide reference.
My sister once added a friend who she had not worked with in ages. they worked together for like 11 months about 5 years back. Her friend was not able to really answer a lot of questions about my sister because it had been a while. Even if you worked with someone before, they might not be the most current when it comes to telling a potential employer why you should get this job.
We always ask for references and generally will discount the ones on their resume. Those tend to be friends that will always say nice things about a candidate. Dig deeper into their business lives than a couple superficial references.