Rethinking Job References: a Networking Challenge
http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1080569909340687
  access restricted (by the publisher) to members/subscribers/customers only
  peer-reviewed

Muir, Clive
Business Communication Quarterly
2009

Abstract:

Can job references play an active role in shaping your career plans? Would you consider your references as part of your personal and professional network? Although most professionals may respond with a resounding 'Yes, of course!' to these questions, I realized that many of my students were skeptical about job references. To counter this, and to help improve their chances in the job market, I designed a multistep assignment that expanded students' understanding of job references and required them to identify persons who were potential job references and members of their career network. This article provides the details for the assignment.