Comment by johnnyanmac

Mixed. I disagree because you can't get culture fit out of a few hours of interviews, so having people who worked with you can help a lot.

I primarily agree because some companies get way too haughty and try to ask for references in the job app. There's no way I'm giving contact info of my leadership to you to bother them (2 of which very carefully avoid posting their contact info on the internet) unless I'm dead sure I'm in consideration for a role. Certainly not before I can talk to a human.