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How to get a Good Reference
A reference (or 'recommendation') has one purpose: to back up an employer's conviction that you're the best person for the job. An impressive résumé and covering letter will get you an interview. A successful interview, one that ends in smiles, handshakes and honest 'see-you-soons!' will get your name on the shortlist.
But just one bad reference could snatch away, at the last minute, the true measure of success: the job offer. You might as well have written your résumé on the back of a grease-stained napkin or arrived at your interview handcuffed to an accompanying police officer for all the good a bad reference will do you.