The usefulness of contacts only really matters when they are managing (or are a key-decider in) the team you wish to apply for.<p>Otherwise, a reference will only add to the burden you have to overcome with the interviewers - they will consider not only your qualities, but the referrer&#x27;s qualities as well. &quot;Richard vouched for Jane? But Richard is writing testing software, and we&#x27;re hiring for backend. We don&#x27;t need a SDET or we would have hired Richard.&quot;