Listing the same person as “most recent supervisor” and as reference (applying, application)

[livliv123]

I am applying for a job that asks for the contact information of your most recent supervisor as well as 2 references. It is a research position, so though I have several relevant positions listed on my resume, many are for research assistant jobs that I held for only a semester or two, some 4 or 5 years ago. So, there are really only two people that I feel comfortable and confident listing as references— my current supervisor, whom I have worked with for over 2 years, and my previous supervisor, who I also worked for for over 2 years and still have a good relationship with.
My question is, can I list the same person as my most recent supervisor and as one of my two references? I suppose I could ask her boss instead, the Principal Investigator of the lab, but though she is the person who hired me, I have never had that close of a working relationship with her, especially since I started right before the pandemic, so what meetings I did have with her without my supervisor lasted a short while before we all switched to remote and I received my tasks from my supervisor or from other people in the lab that reached out through email when they needed something done. Another option I don’t feel great about, but is a possibility, is listing someone I worked very closely with for one semester 2 years ago.

Thank you very much for your help!

[Parnassia]

Do you really have no one else in your life who could provide you a personal reference? If a potential employer wants to know about your skills and experience, they can ask immediate supervisors those sorts of questions. If a potential employer wants to know more about you as a person (whether you might be a good cultural fit, what motivates or inspires you, what your aspirations are for example), they're more likely to ask a reference.

Don't you have any friends, former colleagues, mentors, counterparts within your profession or associated offices who know something about your professional interests, working history, integrity, etc? I find it very hard to believe if you don't. There are reasons why maintaining relationships with people you interact with at work is a good idea. Some employers don't accept an immediate supervisor as a reference, but others might. Whatever you do, ask the person if they are willing to provide a reference before giving anyone their name...don't assume.

[rummage]

Originally Posted by livliv123

My question is, can I list the same person as my most recent supervisor and as one of my two references?

Yes. If they want someone else, they will ask you to provide it. Considering this kind of work, I understand why they would want a former supervisor, it seems to be expected in this field. You only want to list people who can speak highly of you and have the skills to do so. Some people don't know how to be a good reference under best of intentions. So don't include someone who can't really help you.

[Hemlock140]

It depends on the employer/HR policies. Here, that would be 3 references not two. We do not ask for references until a selection is made, so we would contact you and ask for one more reference. Our HR policy is pretty strict, all background/reference conditions must be met before an offer is made.

[joe from dayton]

Some applications also specifically state that your most recent supervisor can't be a reference. I actually worked for a place as a provisional hirer (I provided two references in my application) and, after I had been there a few months I got a call from HR telling me that I needed to give them a third reference or I would be terminated. I told them that I had quit the week before.