[dtnewman]

I'm on my fourth full-time job. I've been asked for references 2 out of 4 times. My references have been contacted from just one of my past employers.

As an aside, it seems to me like it's always worth asking for and contacting someone's references (but only as the final step before giving an offer... as a candidate, I don't appreciate employers calling my references unless they are serious about hiring me). To me, it's a red flag if someone can't find 2 people to say good things about them. But in practice, many employers don't seem to put in the effort to call references.