[Tom4784]

Originally Posted by Cherie

so if a reference confirms the person is punctual, polite, rarely off sick, is a team player you would consider that pointless information about their work history?

I've never actually interviewed someone who had references, I honestly don't know if they are that common but if I did then a character reference would affect my decision but in my experience of interviewing people who have done placements, I've never seen anyone with references to show for it.

I just don't place much stock in work experience that isn't relevant to the job at hand.

Originally Posted by Toy Soldier

As someone who has hired plenty of people (and I'll be honest here; a good handful of them utterly incompetent)... The two main criteria for an entry level position are confidence and competence (by which I mean, seeming bright / enthusiastic /... Not thick...), WAY above experience, with the caveat being I guess that relevant experience can make some people more confident.

For a management role previous management experience is a bit more relevant. If you can get management training ANYWHERE, snap it up, it opens a lot of doors (look on any jobsite, you'll notice that the vast majority of jobs that pay better than minimum wage require management experience to even apply).

But for basic / entry level jobs pretty much anywhere... It just isn't the main factor and tells you very little about what sort of employee the person will be. References should be taken with a pinch of salt. No one will include a reference who will say anything negative?

Tl;Dr a couple of weeks shelf stacking experience at Poundland isn't worth ****. In fact I'd rather hear that people tried to start a small business, or a website, or to become a bloody YouTuber... Something interesting that will make you stand out from the 20 other people with shelf stacking experience who applied.

Pretty much, I don't really care about experience in entry roles, it's more about enthusiasm and work ethic and I think you can tell that by how a person carries themself beneath the interview exterior.