Q. Is it standard to use your current employer as a job reference? I've been looking to step up from the small-town paper I'm at for longer than I'd care to admit, and I haven't been listing any of my current editors as a reference.
The reason is that I don't trust them not to retaliate in some way for wanting to leave (which is symptomatic of why I do). I've landed several interviews lately, and it doesn't seem to be an issue. But I still wonder if it looks bad.
Still LookingA. It is not unusual for an applicant to withhold the names of current references -- and for prospective employers to refrain from quizzing them -- until things get very serious.
The last thing anyone needs is for an employer to hear that someone is looking at a time when that person is unlikely to land the job.
Always cultivate potential references wherever you are working. If your immediate supervisor does not seem likely to be that reference, form relationships with other managers who understand and appreciate you and your work.
The best reference is someone who sees your work regularly and who has some supervisory responsibilities. People interested in hiring you are always free to call people you do not list as references, so do not think you can hide someone.
Coming Monday: This working-mom journalist lost her job when the Newhouse News Service closed its Washington, D.C., office. Since then, she's been doing well as a freelancer.
We have answers for your journalism career questions. Just e-mail your question to Joe. You'll have an answer soon.
