Just wondering who is acceptable to put down as a referee when applying for a job? I have had this year off as DD was born in Feb, and prior to that I worked in a casual part time job for 2 years and most of the staff there have now been made redundant due to a company buy out. My direct manager resigned just before I left and the manager who originally hired me was let go a few months ago.
My job prior to that was 4 years ago and my manager from there has also moved on. I am currently in the process of updating my CV, and have no idea who to put down now. I know there are people out of the work force longer than me that possibly have the same dilemma, so who would you ask to be a referee?
I only put down personal referees. I list people who tend to be reputable, a Police Officer, Chiropractor, etc. No one in their right mind is going to list a past employer or manager who will speak badly of them anyway so if you don't have a work referee to list then personal referees should be good enough. I often didn't even bother calling them when I interviewed people as it's not really worth my time or the cost of the phone call. They way people present on paper isn't worth much either other then a list of skills that they are supposed to have or positions they have been employed to fill in the past, it doesn't mean they are actually any good at the job they are applying for now. My point is not to stress about it, present well on the day and people will make up their own mind based on that, not based on who is or isn't on your referee list. Good luck with whatever new job you get!
Are you still in contact with your previous managers? Do you have their new job titles and contact info? If you do I would put them down on your cv and make a note they were your manager for each specific company or role. Depends on what type of position you are applying for but I would always check at least one if not two references and if the applicant had only personal references I would wonder a bit about their work history if there is no previous employers who could vouch for them.
Can you put something like "referees available upon request"?
And then if it comes up, explain that your managers at your two previous places of employment have left the company and you can try to get their contact details if needed, but if they'd like someone who has known you more recently then you can provide a personal referral?
I've always been happy with References available on request. That way when I or HR ask for them we encourage them to let the referee know we will be calling shortly
When we got job seeking training as part of a redundancy package they said to always put References available on request, that way you can easily ask them which they would prefer when they ask you. For people in jobs it is good because often you don't want someone knowing until you have an offer (all jobs I have had they have offered pending a reference check) so you can disclose to a manager at point of offer. It also takes up less space on a CV. From an employer point of view they also often don't want bother of checking references until they know you want to take up position anyway. I think most employers would be used to the on request statement.
And in my experience a good or bad referee can make a difference - I have had my staff interview candidates whom interviewed well - and both referees gave very similar feedback that resulted in them not being recruited.
Thanks everyone. I'll definitely go with references on request and see what happens. I have no contact with any of my previous managers. I still have friends at both companies but they don't know where they have gone either.
The type of work I am applying for is just general accounts/payroll jobs and will more than likely end up going through an agency.
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