CPA Bill Hanna explains why early-career job seekers need to protect their references. In your first five years, you have few people who can vouch for you, so leaving on good terms matters. After 20 years, you can afford to be pickier because you've built up 5 to 8 solid references.
Hey guys, a quick word about references for you as you look for a job early in your career. So if you're still in the first 5 years of your career and you're looking for a job, make sure that when you leave a job, you don't burn a bridge because especially in those first 5 years of your career, you don't have that many professional references. So you want to keep really good relationship with those managers that you just left. So leave on a good note, leave your work in good order, transition everything well. Later on in your career, like me now, 20 years in, I can afford to burn a bridge when I leave because I have so many references from before. I have like maybe 5 to 8 references that I can lean on if I need them. But at the very beginning of your career, you don't have that luxury. So you want to leave on a really good note. So make sure you do a really good exit when you leave. Keeping a really good relationship with your manager. Go get 'em!
