The idea is that they are in position as your cheerleader. They know what and how you did at work and they are willing to promote you for the job in hand.
They need to be in communication with you. As your resume should be crafted for a specific job opportunity, your references should also be specific. You can develop a list of references and pick and choose from your list depending on their credibility in relation to the job you are applying for.
Your references have no place in your resume. And don’t say ‘references are available upon request.” Of course they are!
I can’t see how your current boss not giving you a reference would come up in an interview, other than perhaps in a question like “What would your former boss say about your ability to do your job?” This gives you an opportunity to promote yourself, using your boss’s words, which you have made up of course.
As originally answered on Quora.com
I scheduled a phone interview for 2:30 p.m. mountain standard Time and when I went back to my email to reconfirm whereas it was 10 minutes later than 2:30 already it reads please allow for a call within 30 minutes of the scheduled time. That seems strange to me.. and now we approach the last 5 minutes of that 30-minute window and still no hide no hair no phone call. Do I reach out to them after the 30 minutes is up or do I assume that I should move on and keep looking elsewhere?