As a person who has been hiring, firing, mentoring and generally driving techs crazy for too many years, I can give one fact and one strategy.

Fact: References are a burnt into 'Corporate Culture' and it ain't going away.

Strategy: Write your own reference template and ask former employers if they will read and sign. As an employer I like this as it saves me time. I often find with 'good' former employee's I edit UP reference that are to modest.

Outline your resposibilites and any projects you felt you excelled at and remember the Golden Rule of why Corporate USA hires someone . To either/and/or increase revenues, reduce costs, improve quality of product/service, create new product/service.

mitd-Made in the Dark
'Interactive! Paper tape is interactive!
If you don't believe me I can show you my paper cut scars!'