to clarify on the reference - i'm assuming she only mean employment history, and I thought employers were only allowed to say the dates of your employment and validate you did work at a company. Also I think you would have to explain to the new company your interviewing the gaps in your employment history, if you didin't list it at all.

As for the reference I assume you would ask a person first if you are able to use them as a reference prior to listing them as a reference. So if your manager fires you for reason xyz, I doubt you'd want to use them as a reference