Professional reference question (job hunting, employee, references, job)

[FLPL75]

Hey all
My husband has been exploring some new job opportunities( IT field) , a new recruiter has asked him for a couple professional references for a job posting they have sent him.

The question we have been discussing is, do these references have to be someone that you have worked in your field at your current company or can it be someone that is in the same field?


The problem is he really doesn't want to have it known where he works that he is looking for a new job.

Thanks in advance
karla

[BagongBuhay]

Originally Posted by Karla with a K

Hey all
My husband has been exploring some new job opportunities( IT field) , a new recruiter has asked him for a couple professional references for a job posting they have sent him.

The question we have been discussing is, do these references have to be someone that you have worked in your field at your current company or can it be someone that is in the same field?


The problem is he really doesn't want to have it known where he works that he is looking for a new job.

Thanks in advance
karla

Professional references would include anybody he worked for (in the past) or worked with (past and present). Anybody that was happy with the results of his work would be good professional references. Peers would be good as well,but the more responsible the position of the person providing the reference, the better it looks for your hubby. Good luck to him!

[FLPL75]

Thanks bibit612
He was concerned that it meant it had to be someone that did the same job and could speak of his skill in programming from a technical position
There is one guy that does the same job but in a different state, that he knows won't let it be known he is job hunting
I am glad to see he can use 2 folks that he worked for that just recently retired from high up positions within the company
They are not programmers/developers but benefited from the results of his work .
I will send him a email right away

Thanks again
Karla

[JoeBiasella]

Karla,

As a Senior Technical Recruiter and someone that has been in IT Management for several years, I typically want to see references from technical managers that had the candidate as a direct report. This provides two very important things; an attestment to technical ability and a description of typical employee traits such as timeliness, attitude, etc.

If this is not possible due to the obvious confidentiality concern with current employment, a client or customer reference that can attest to the results of your husband's software development efforts would be a good backup. The next best thing is a reference(s) from a manager in a business department that benefited from a system your husband worked on and/or developed. This obviously would show positive bottom line results that improved or benefited the business itself. In fact, a combination of all three types of references listed here would be ideal.

Peer references, although not completely out of the question, are not weighed nearly as much since they can be construed as somewhat biased and possibly the result of friendship between the peers.

[FLPL75]

Thanks Joe
This has really helped