What should I do when I have no references
I'm currently applying to entry level jobs, specifically lab assistant roles, in industry and I got a few interviews, but I don't have references and am unsure where to ask this question this so I thought of asking it here!
To be transparent I have never held a job or internship in industry before, I only have academic experience and random side jobs that I can't get references from as it was a while back and none of my previous supervisors have responded to me reaching out about it. I have worked on 2 projects in my undergrad years under 2 different professors but one of them retired and the other one I don't think liked me. I've tried getting in contact with the retired professor to no avail and the other I am hesitant to ask for a reference from because he did not seem to like me and I do not want to ruin my chances of a job(if it does get to that point of asking for reference after however many round of interviews lol).
Outside of these two I don't have anyone who can speak on the lab experience that I gained through these projects. Also another one of my worries is that since both of these were unpaid, there wouldn't even be evidence of me having these positions on a background check so a reference would be all that I have.
I think I am just really worried the more I think about it and am unsure what the process will be like and am scared of how much it will weigh on me getting a job or not in the long run. If anyone has gotten an entry level job in industry despite not knowing who to put as references in the beginning of the job search I would love to learn about your experience and how you were able to do it!
Thank you.