# I have job experience but no job references



## CorgiGirl (Jan 3, 2011)

I'm 21 and so far I have had 2 jobs in my life. The first one was when I was 17. I worked for my high school. The FFA program (which I was a member of and the job doubled as my FFA project) owned a put-put course. The course was badly marketed and I never got paid due to lack of funds but it was still a job. Unfortunately, the teacher who hired me retired and the guy that kind of took over most likely doesn't remember me by now, even though I was in his class in my junior year.

My second job was when I was 19, I worked for a university research facility being a lab assistant for an entomologist. My duties involved me barely seeing the guy who hired me. There was no interview, I sent in my resume. The guy who hired me told my dad (who works there as well) and my dad for some reason didn't tell me so I found out about a week before the job started when my supervisor called me to ask me when I could start. On top of my boss having little knowledge of my work ethic, he quit anyway and I have no idea where his new company is. I suppose my supervisor could be a job reference but I'm not sure if she liked me. I had a bit of trouble keeping up in some parts of the job and for other reasons as well we didn't click. She also had a bit of an attitude to boot. I did get along with my other employees but because my supervisor was such an outgoing person, I was only able to talk to my fellow employees when she wasn't there. So to her I looked very anti-social. At any rate, she's only 2 years older than me and may not be the best reference anyway. Now that I think of it, I'm not even sure how to list my supervisor as a reference. I only had her cellphone number and I probably have deleted that by now. 

So the summary of this is that I've got the experience, but not the job references. However in my search of jobs, I've noticed a lot of them want job references/previous employer phone numbers/whatever else. What should I do? 

I should probably add that I've never had to hunt down a job before. In my first job, it was for FFA kids only on a first come, first served basis. In my second job, employees found out about the job through others (I found out through my dad), sent in an application, and based on your application you got the job. This job, due to it being a summer job and with the work involved, was targeted toward girls in college. So I fit that demographic.


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## laxlax10289 (Jul 18, 2011)

*For the high school job you had:*
Managers/employers don't care about high school-level jobs (cashier, stockperson, whatever). Only ones that they kind of like are ones that show you developed/have people-related skills (such as a server) or something unique and highly technical. If your resume is lacking in content due to your young age/inexperience, then list it with 1-2 descriptive items. For 'references' just list your school and school telephone number, and then when the topic comes up in an interview, just explain the situation *only if they ask specifically about it*. If they call (they won't bother to) then the administrator who answers the phone at the school will probably have no idea and direct/redirect to a dozen other people, until one person finally has a vague idea, and explains.

*For your second job:* 
You could use the same method (list department name as opposed to your ex-boss or your supervisor, and department number). Again, if they call (they might call this one, but probably won't) the secretary will have the caller refer to whoever runs the research facility. Then, this person would explain that your former boss left. Same idea for the interview, when the topic of this job comes up.

Since this is your most recent and most 'difficult' job, you need to list it on your resume and write the descriptions in a way that show off your talent and results.

By the way, what field are you in?


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## CorgiGirl (Jan 3, 2011)

Thanks for the advice! It was very helpful.



laxlax10289 said:


> By the way, what field are you in?


None really. I'm just trying to get a state work-study job for my last year of university. It's highly competitive due to state budget cuts though. A few I am aiming at are related to my major/future career. One of them is in social services because I'm a psychology major. The other two are business related because that's going to be where my career is.


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## NotSoRighteousRob (Jan 1, 2010)

start volunteering in related fields, work on getting employment through a temp agency and establish some line of credibility as being a dependable worker. Despite previous history if you have done little to no work in several years it will be held against you college student or not.


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## aus2020 (Jun 29, 2011)

I have work experience here in Australia, but I often have no work references, due to my managers either quitting or moving to other departments. You can always undertake any volunteer work or get minimum wage jobs for a reference. If you are located in the US, the employment situation is really bad, where the average US worker takes an average of 40 weeks to get a job. There are many individuals with multiple degrees who are either unemployed or working in minimum wage positions. It would be beneficial to get assistance with your resume and interviewing skills to ensure that you are super competitive.


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## TheBigHappy (Jul 10, 2011)

@*NotSoRighteousRob*- your little siggy bug got me Dx


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## kittychris07 (Jun 15, 2010)

I'd say try to do some volunteer work to get references. 

I feel like I'm in kind of the same pickle when it comes to references. I have worked some jobs/had positions that make my resume look good, but my supervisors have moved away and/or didn't know me well in the first place, so they can't provide a reference. 

You could try to use some professor references when they say list 3. Granted, I do not know whether you are in a school small enough that you get to meet and work closely with your professors. But at least I can use them as a reference. 

Even if your previous employers don't know you well, they might at least be able to certify that you did your job satisfactorily. I don't know if you had an evaluation on your employee file, but maybe it might be brought up if your potential employer called the places you previously worked for. 

Good luck on the job hunt!


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## CorgiGirl (Jan 3, 2011)

Well the thing is, I'm going for a state work-study job for the school year. It's highly competitive so I need to send in my resume and other things now. So it's too late to build up my resume with something new. I do volunteer a lot since I'm part of a student service organization but it's usually a few hours at different places.

I have been using professors when they just ask for references in general and not job references.


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## yallredyno (Dec 22, 2010)

you need to put your foot down and yell "BE MY JOB REFERENCE! NAO!!!"


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