
Ask HN: Ask current co-workers for references? - questioner2015
Hi,<p>I am interviewing at a company (Company A) that I like very much. They want 3 references.
I like the company (Company B) I currently work at and I think everybody (including technical leads) likes me. It&#x27;s not that I dislike working there, it&#x27;s just Company A is a better opportunity.<p>However, nothing is sure in job-hunting and Forbes magazine recommends you not list your current employer as a reference. It signals you have one foot out the door, and there could be repercussions for that. Needless to say, if Company A decides not to move forward with my candidacy after getting references from Company B, I would be in a very precarious position with Company B.
I am in the early stages of my career (company B was first job out of my undergraduate degree) and I am not a proficient network-er. I did two internships, but I have lost touch with my co-workers from those positions. Those internships were on small projects and were in electrical engineering -- and not reflective of my current software skills or interests. In fact, knowing what I know now, the work I produced during those internships was rather immature (hey, I was learning!).<p>During my undergraduate degree, I was a low-key person and I doubt many professors remember me. And again, my coursework was in EE and not related to work I would be doing at company A.
IF they remember me at all, references from past companies and professors would say was I am a good worker and not a disruptive employee. That&#x27;s all.
Has anyone else been in a similar situation -- what did you do and how did it turn out? What should I do?<p>P.S, I hate the reference system. It seems like a holdover from a bygone era.
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rcavezza
Here'a s few tips.

1.) Reach out to the people you worked with at those old companies. You would
often be surprised who remembers you.

2.) Reach out to your favorite professors. It's an assumption they don't
remember you. They might remember you better than you think.

3.) Even if you don't feel comfortable asking someone for a reference right
off the bat, you'll want to keep in touch with them at least sporadically,
because you never know when they can help you in the future, or you can help
them.

4.) Assume you won't get the job. The odds are typically stacked against you
if you don't have an "in". Make sure the people you pick as references are
close to you and don't use your boss or boss's boss.

5.) Your work and interests don't typically matter in a reference interview.
If people like you, they'll answer all of the questions positively to help you
get the job.

6.) Don't ask people for references who don't like you or when a work
relationship ended in a bad way. This is really the only way to fail a
reference check.

