Question about references. (applying, interview, real estate, employers)

[techreactor]

I have a couple questions regarding references.

First, how to I ask my fellow coworkers/supervisors to let me use them as a references without letting everyone at work know I am actively looking for a new job?

Second, I have a few strong references from previous bosses but they no longer work in the same industry. When listing these people as a reference should I be putting their current information or what their position was when I worked under them? For example one used to be a Store Manager but now he works as a Real Estate Agent. Should I put him down as the RE Agent?

Lastly, when giving references to potential employers should I have given them references when first applying for the job or should I wait to see if I make it to the interview and then hand them a list of people?

[joe from dayton]

You need to find a couple of people you can trust to keep their pie hole shut. Also, unless you make it pretty far into the cut, your references are never going to know they have been listed because they will never be called. If you are not comfortable with their ability to be quiet, I would approach them and ask, "If an opportunity presented itself, would I be able to use you as a reference?"

I want to know what your relationship is, so I want to know that the person listed is your former supervisor, manager, or whatever.

Give them what they ask for. If they don't ask for any, don't feel compelled to provide any.

[mwt137]

To answer your questions:

1) Ask only people whom you would trust with very intimate secrets. Even then, it's possible the secret could slip out, so I would be prepared for that situation should it arise.

2) In writing references, I have done a mixture of both items that you mentioned. I write what their current job is, and then I write their relationship to me. So in your example I might put:
John Doe, RE Agent
Relationship: Former Supervisor at XX Store

3) Typically, your interviewer will prompt you for references if you make it far enough in the process. They'll also give you a couple days to contact them ahead of time to notify your references. So going back to question one, you might not have to worry about asking anyone until you are fairly close to a potential job.

Good luck in your job search!