Urgent Referee help. Who should I ask?

[HesterPrynne]

I am just finishing an application for my perfect job. I WANT IT.

I have to supply two referees, which is fine, but which two?

Is it OK to have two from my current place of work. One is my line manager, the other is senior to him, but deals with me on other projects which are not my main role, but will play a part in me getting the new job. He is also quite well-known in the industry.

Or should I go for my line manager from my last place, more than five years ago.

Or someone else all together? The new job would bring together a lot of the strands of my so-called career so there are quite a few to chose from but I have not worked with many of them for a few years now.

Hi Hester. Congrats on getting the application sorted!

Simply, which referees do you think are going to give you the best reference? I don't think it would be a problem to have two from your current place of work. Especially since you've been there for five years - surely that's much more relevant than your old job. The only thing I wondered, though, is whether you need one professional and one personal?

Belle, I've missed you. Where have you been? Have you and MrsH been hiding from me?

It doesn't specify personal and/or professional. And it's not for what you think it is, I talked myself out of teaching. This what I already do, but more senior and for another company.

Ah, I thought you and MrsH must have been doing the email thingy... Guess not!

I've been here but not been posting much. Been lurking a bit.

All ok with me. Possibility of major change at work and just decideing whether to go for promotion or not. Probably won't get it (not being pessimistic but realistic) but going for it will raise profile, etc, and will make other things happen.

Tell me about your potential new job. Is it exciting or just more money (just!)?

Am off to bed shortly so if I'm not around to respond I will be back tomorrow.

Missed you too and was very pleased to see you here.

No MrsH has disappeared, I'm hoping that's a good thing, but I'm a bit uneasy.

It's doing what I do at work some of the time, all of the time. So full time and more senior - lots more money. It'll be quite a long commute every day, but I really want to go full time or at least more time.

Sounds like a good move to me. It might be just what you need and give you another focus while your subconscious gets on with sorting the other stuff out?

I don't mind a commute - if it's driving you get time to yourself and can either listen to what you want or have a good think. If it's public transport, you can immerse yourself in books.

If you want to chat about the other stuff you can always email me on maxinedotallardatyahoodotcodotuk obviously replacing the dots with . and the at with @. Hope that makes sense? Please don't feel you have to - just if you want someone to talk to who you know doesn't issue judgement. I'm sure there's a more grammatically correct version of that sentence in my head but it won't come out!

I hope MrsH is ok - makes me a bit uneasy too though.

I'm glad you're still here. I missed you.

That subconscious thing is what I'm hoping for. I have far too much time to fill and not enough to keep my brain productively busy. It finds stuff to analyse and pick over, creating lots of problems to solve which wouldn't be there otherwise.

Does that make any sense at all?

Two from your current work as you suggest, they will be the most relevant given your previous job was 5 years ago. Most people's previous line manager in those circumstances probably wouldn't be around anyway. You can always offer previous line manager later if they want further verification.

Not a personal reference. For virtually all jobs they are worse than useless so definitely don't offer unless specifically requested. Apart from anything else it looks as though you might not have two people from a work situation who can say nice things about you...! Personal references are no good because they don't give any insight into you in a work situation, which is what an employer needs to know, and of course for a personal referee you are only going to choose someone who will say glowing things about you anyway.

Thanks Flowerybeanbag. Bizarrely, and probably very sadly, I think finding good work referees will be far easier than finding a personal referee who I was not related to!

Hester - makes perfect sense to me!! I do that all the time.