In short I’ve been working at my current company for just shy of 5 years and due to any substantial career advancement I’ve decided it’s time to start the job hunt so I can move forward in my career.
The majority of my work activities involve using a specific software suite that is by and far the industry standard and essential has a monopoly in this field.
Is it appropriate to ask out account representative, who is fairly senior with their company if he would be willing to serve as a professional reference? My resume at this point looks pretty good, but a few of my references feel outdated. Should I include my graduate advisor from 8 years ago? Normally I would automatically say no, but I have been an active alumni, offering internships, giving guest lectures, and have even been penned as an author on a academic journal article a current professor in that department has submitted for peer review.
Of course I would love to have a senior manager at my company act as a reference, but for obvious reasons I’m going to avoid that.