If you've been working for a while, you have a number of people who could be references for you: colleagues, project managers, managers. All of these are people who know what you've done.
So, how do you choose references?- Make sure your reference can talk on the phone. If you choose a reference who hates talking on the phone, you are not going to get a good reference. It doesn't matter what they say, if they 'erm' and 'err' and sound slow to respond, you will not get the reference you need.
- Choose someone who can talk about the value of your work. If you choose someone who says, "Oh, yes, Tim worked here," and stops, what good is that? Even saying, "Tim was our release engineer," does not show value. Contrast that to this statement: "Tim worked on my project for 6 months. In that time, he showed me the value of continuous integration, and helped influence all the other developers into really doing continuous integration. I don't know how we would have finished the project when we did without his nudging and cajoling us into it."
- Choose some colleagues, and at least one manager. If you've had multiple jobs, ask multiple colleagues and multiple managers. Two or three managers and three colleagues is a good number.
If you haven't worked in the field long enough to have that many references, ask your managers wherever you worked before you got into the field. Did you work in a supermarket, or a retail store? Those managers are good choices. Did you mow lawns or shovel sidewalks? Ask those neighbors. Ask them to emphasise your reliability and value. (Yes, use those words.)
All of these ideas require that you
stay in touch with people at previous jobs. You don't have to have long conversations every week. Touch base with these folks every 3-6 months, just so they don't forget you. You can even remind them you're staying in touch because you enjoyed working with them and that they'd agreed in the past to be a reference.
Remember, these people are doing you a favour. Choose them carefully,
prepare them, and don't forget to thank them.
