I hate the whole concept of references. I don't want to ask a favor from someone in my past. I don't want to keep contact info for former bosses or co-workers.
Our society is like:
Pull yourselves up by your bootstraps.
Have personal responsibility.
Your success or your failure is 100% due to your good or poor choices.
Employers: "By the way, you are going to need help from some strangers in your past in
order to get a job with our company."
Companies are constantly trying to figure out how to pay workers less.
I would absolutely take less money if the hiring process didn't have so
much hoop-jumping. How has capitalism not figured that one out yet?