References for a retail job

November 15, 2010 1:14 PM

Recent college graduate applying for various menial retail jobs. No relevant experience. Who can I list as a reference?

I haven't had any job for a very long time, because I've been in school (including summers), and it's been years since I was in contact with anyone that I used to work for. I've also been applying for jobs directly related to my degree (I still hope that I may get one eventually), and since it's a fairly career-oriented subject, I can list professors as references.

But it seems silly to list professors as references when applying to work at, say, a supermarket--and it also emphasizes the fact that I may want to leave the job if I got something better. What do you do in a case like this?

posted by anonymous to Work & Money (7 answers total)

Just list friends you've known for a while, or people you worked on projects with at school, and clear it with them first. If you're applying to be a checkout clerk they're asking for references as a formality and they're not actually going to call anyone.
posted by FAMOUS MONSTER at 1:16 PM on November 15, 2010 [2 favorites]

You don't need a reference for these jobs, you need to show you can present yourself, hold down shifts and be on time.
posted by parmanparman at 1:16 PM on November 15, 2010 [1 favorite]

Do you really think the supermarket doesn't know that you will leave the job when you get something better?
posted by J. Wilson at 1:25 PM on November 15, 2010

Supervisors from volunteer projects or other leadership positions in extracurriculars.
posted by whatzit at 1:25 PM on November 15, 2010 [1 favorite]

That's the difference between a "character reference" and a "professional reference". Good character references would be people like a good friend, a minister at your church, someone wyou worked for or with on an extracurricular, etc. Professional references might also be fine character references but they'd have to be aware of which kind of reference they're supposed to be providing for any given phone call. You're smart to prefer separate people.
posted by aimedwander at 2:14 PM on November 15, 2010

Yeah, you're right in not putting down professors for this. I don't think professors will look favorably on this, plus retail jobs probably don't care about your success in academia. I would just list people you've worked on volunteer/extracurriculars/projects with. Hopefully you'll be competing with other people with limited job experience so it'll be fine.
posted by lacedcoffee at 3:46 PM on November 15, 2010

I came in to say exactly what FAMOUS MONSTER said. Just put down a friend who's known you for a while.
posted by Sara C. at 4:44 PM on November 15, 2010