interview and need for references

[steve208]

I got a letter today saying that am to be invited for an interview. There are a lot of forms to fill out and one requires that i give three references. I can give my present employer which i have been with for a few years and they know i want to move on and are happy about it! (i work in a shop and they know id like to go elsewhere and understand)

The form also asks for a character reference and would seem they will accept a family friend so i can forfill that bit.

But the other one is an educational or previous employer reference. Now apart from the job i have now the other things i have done have been interning or volunteering and not for longer than three months so they wont accept this. So it has to be educational....but i am worried that a year after graduating and not being in contact with old tutors if they will remember me. I suppose they keep my academic recor on file? They also said if i send a copy of my CV then they have an idea of interests outside work etc.

Will my old tutor be ok doing a referenc eif i drop her an email first?

[Kim A]

Don't see why not, unless you were a very naughty lad at Uni! If it's been a year since graduation, you'll probably only get a general 'as far as I am aware' reference, but most ex-tutors are reasonably happy to provide one, in my experience. Are you sure that the company you're being interviewed by wouldn't be happy to accept a ref. from one or more of your interning/voluntary jobs? They're none the less valid for having been short-term placements and I would have thought that a prospective employer would be glad to see that you have been 'around' doing useful stuff. If it were me with the interview, I'd go for references from the most recent 'employer', whether I'd been there short-term or unsalaried. They'd remember me and would know what I was like as an employee, salaried or not! Good luck with the interview!

[steve208]

thanks

well i could put one of them down but these voluntary things were just before last christmas. It does say you must have been with them for at least 3 months to be a referee. The job is within the civil service.

[Kim A]

In that case, go for both a reference from your tutor and one from one or more of the placements. It can't hurt. I'm pretty sure the Civicl Service wants to employ nicely rounded human beings, so show them you are one! Hope you're successful, but if you are, don't get too boring. The Civil Service likes you to be nice and conformist. And wear a tie!