References?

[Xialu]

When a job opening asks for references should you give them referees who will say the most glowingly positive things about you or referees who knew you in the related jobs/positions you mention in your cover letter?

How likely is an employer to actually contact your referees?

I'm applying for positions in fields related to international relations or international education, so this may be a fairly common issue, but a fair number of the people I'd like to list as references live abroad. If you were hiring, would you consider it a negative if the best/only way for you to contact someone's reference was by email (because of time zone issues)?

I'd love to hear perspectives from people who've done hiring. Thanks in advance!

[cecelia]

I can't give any adivce on the international component, but I can tell you that when I applied for my current government job ALL of my references were contacted (I think I listed 4 or 5). Because it was right after graduation, two or three references were professors/staff at Smith who had recent contact with me and were familiar with my academic performances. The other two refernces were from the internship I had my first year (only real job type reference from outside of Smith) and my industry contact for my senior engineering project. You almost certainly want a reference from your current job, because even if its McDonald's they can speak towards you being a good worker. You also want people who will speak of your strengths, so if you don't get along with your current supervisor perhaps try and find someone else who can talk about your position at a certain job but in a positive light. Good luck!

[SpringFlowers]

It was once pointed out to me that a mix, itself, is also impressive. I was able to use former professors from two very different fields (econ and psych), a theatre director from civic volunteer theatre, and an employer in an unrelated field (newpaper). All of them were able to speak to my devotion, work ethic, etc., and the interviewer actually said "You're able to get along with and impress all kinds of people."

Definitely go with some employers, but don't discount a "wild card".