Many position announcements require applicants to supply letters of recommendation and most application blanks require employment references. Most employers will expect you to have some kind of recommendation from a previous employer, associate, or instructor. All applicants should have at least three references available. For students graduating from college, the opinions or recommendations of your faculty and college administrators will probably be the most important. For those who have actual work experience, references will be sought from your job supervisors.
Most personnel specialists prefer letters written by a past supervisor.
The most accurate information is found in letters written by prior supervisors who have observed your work for a long period of time. Be very selective when choosing references. If you have three good references and two are better than the third, drop the third one. A good reference is someone who has firsthand knowledge of your performance on the job. Resume readers want work references more than character references.