This essay sheds light on what is a professional reference, explicates how to receive professional references, and delineates the benefits of receiving professional references before applying to employee jobs. Succinctly stated, a professional reference is a reference that is derived from a professional who is able to provide an attestation of a referee’s competencies. A professional who is able to provide an attestation of a referee’s competencies is often a professional who has accrued ample work experience working with the referee. Furthermore, a professional who is able to provide an attestation of a referee’s competencies can often also provide insights about the workplace accomplishments of the referee. Moreover, a professional who is able to provide an attestation of a referee’s competencies can often also provide insights about the industrious work ethic and personality traits of the referee. A professional who is able to provide an attestation of a referee’s competencies is often a professional who has accrued a substantial amount of managerial work experience during his career. A professional reference is, however, not limited to being derived from a professional who has accrued an inordinate amount of managerial work experience during his career. This is because a professional reference can also be derived from other professionals, such as a colleague, peer, client, or mentor who has worked as a professional in a niche field. Furthermore, a professional reference can also be derived from an industry expert who has worked as a professional in a niche field. A professional reference is often brought to fruition in the format of a reference letter. Furthermore, a professional reference letter that is in the format of a reference letter is typically archived as a PDF file. A professional reference is not limited to being in the form of a reference letter. A professional reference can also be in various other forms, such as in the form of a reference list or in the form of a phone call. It is a feasible viability for a person to receive professional references. A person has the autonomy to receive professional references from professionals in his network on social networking sites who are amenable to furnishing a professional reference to him. A person can send messages to professionals in his network via social networking sites to ascertain if any of the professionals in his network are amenable to furnishing a professional reference to him. An example of a social networking site encompasses LinkedIn. A person is not limited to receiving professional references from professionals in his network on social networking sites who are amenable to furnishing a professional reference to him. A person can also contact his former managers via email to ascertain if they would be amenable to furnishing a professional reference to him. Furthermore, a person can also contact his colleagues via email who he befriended at his former employer’s company to ascertain if they would be amenable to furnishing a professional reference to him. Moreover, a person can also contact professors via email whose courses he completed while he was matriculated in a university degree program so that he can ascertain if they would be amenable to furnishing a professional reference to him. A person can also contact his peers via email who he befriended at a university so that he can ascertain if they would be amenable to furnishing a professional reference to him. A person can also contact his mentors via email to ascertain if they would be amenable to furnishing a professional reference to him. There are an exorbitant amount of professionals who a person can contact for the prospect of receiving a professional reference from a professional. A person has the latent potential to receive professional references in an expeditious manner if he is able to contact all of the professionals in his network on social networking sites and subsequently find professionals in his network on social networking sites who are eager to furnish him with a professional reference. A professional can write a reference letter in the time span of a day. A reference letter can be “three to five paragraphs in length”. Furthermore, a person who contacts all of the professionals in his network on social networking sites is at a higher probability to receive professional references in an expeditious manner if he has a sizeable network across social networking sites.