Who do hiring managers expect to see as "peer recommendations"?
Some I have considered are:
In your experience as a candidate or hiring manager, how are peer recommendations considered? Other there others I should consider?
The best recommendations are from former colleagues who now work for the company you want a job with. If I am hiring you, I care most about whether you are going to be a productive and positive influence on my group. If a former colleague recommends you, then it means that someone thinks you were a productive and positive influence on their group. If that person now works for my company, then it's not just some stranger saying so but someone who is staking their reputation to a certain extent on your performance. Such recommendations can often skirt some or even most of the hiring process.
Second best is recommendations from other former colleagues. These mean much the same, but of course there's no risk for the person making the recommendation, and I probably don't know them from Adam. But it means someone out there thought you were worth working for. (Unless it's someone notable.)
Recommendations from Stack Overflow, users groups, etc. don't mean much at all. You haven't worked with these people in a business environment, so the fact that they like you doesn't mean much. (And in the case of Stack Overflow, it'd be superfluous, as I can see everything you've done anyway.)
