The best reference is a former manager, the more recent the better
When companies prepare to make an offer and ask you for references, they’re typically looking for a past manager or somebody you directly reported to for a significant period of time. They’re rarely looking for personal references or character references; they want to talk to people you’ve worked with who can speak to the quality of your work.
It’s very important to stay in contact and maintain a good relationship with prior managers because you could end up using them as references. That said, your supervisor from 15 years ago is not a valuable reference compared to your manager from three years ago.
If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out to us by phone or email. We look forward to hearing from you. Happy hunting.