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Instead of providing a person who can talk about your skills and abilities, provide a copy of your actual work which will show your skills and abilities.  For job seekers just entering the job market, consider using school work to demonstrate your abilities.  Reports, presentations, papers, essays, journal articles, analyses, etc. can all demonstrate your skills and abilities. Be sure to redact any confidential or proprietary information in the documents. Most jobs include an evaluation at some point.  And most evaluations are shared with you, so you can keep a copy.  Share these evaluations to a potential employer if you aren’t able to provide a professional reference.  This is especially helpful if your former employer isn’t allowed to provide you with a professional reference.  Be sure to redact any confidential or proprietary information in the documents. In addition to evaluations, you can also try: letters of recognition, thank you letters from clients, testimonials from clients or fellow employees, and awards you’ve won. Corporate references are those written by an employee on behalf of an employer.  The reference is then officially from the employer.  Instead of asking for a corporate reference (on company letterhead), ask for a personal professional reference from a former supervisor or co-worker.  Corporate references are becoming harder to obtain, even if you left your former employer for legitimate reasons.  Many employers are concerned about lawsuits from providing either positive or negative references for former employees. Personal professional references are references directly from another person, and not connected to the employer.  However, the person can be someone you previously worked for or with, as long as they’re providing the reference from themselves and not from their employer. Personal professional references need to ensure that they are speaking from their own personal experience working with you, and are not speaking as a representative of their employer. References do not always have to be verbal (e.g. phone call or email), they can also be in writing.  Written references can include either an employment confirmation or information about your skills and abilities, or both. If you are being terminated from an employer for valid reasons (e.g. layoffs, cut backs, etc.) you should ask for a written reference letter as part of your severance agreement.  This is especially helpful if the company is being reorganized or sold and contacting them will be difficult in the future. Potential employers will sometimes ask for references, not to ask questions about your skills and abilities, but to confirm you were actually employed at the companies listed on your resume. References of this type can come from a former supervisor (especially if the organization is small) or from the Human Resources (HR) department.  Since your potential employer is not asking personal questions about you, the person confirming your employment doesn’t have to know you.  They simply need to be able to confirm you used to work there for a specific period of time. Potential employers are most likely also frustrated with the lack of professional references they’re able to get from potential employees.  You will not be the only applicant who is unable to provide a reference.  When a potential employer asks for your references, negotiate what type and the number of references you provide. If you do not have any professional references, offer to provide twice as many personal references if you can. A personal reference can be from someone who knows you, but has never worked with you in a professional environment.  For example, they could be a friend, a classmate, a teammate, a coach, a teacher, etc.

Summary:
Provide previous work you’ve produced as a reference source. Show a potential employee your previous evaluations. Use personal professional references instead of a corporate reference. Provide reference letters instead of contact information. Know what types of references are being requested. Negotiate your references with a potential employer.