Job References: How to Prepare Your Referees

Why references matter at the end of the process

A reference check is a verification step. The employer phones or emails people who have worked with you to confirm what you told them at interview and what your CV says. It usually comes late, when the employer is choosing between finalists or is close to making an offer. A detail that goes wrong at this point, such as a referee who cannot be reached or who describes your role differently, can be costly.

You have more control over this stage than you might think. This article is written for candidates in the United Kingdom: it covers how to choose and prepare referees, what employers commonly ask, and what the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) says about what a former employer may share.

What employers usually ask

Recruiters tend to start with the basics and then move to more probing questions. Robert Half UK, a recruitment firm, describes the pattern for employers^[1]:

• Basic questions: how long you worked there, your role and duties, and details such as pay, bonuses or overtime, checked against your CV and application.
• Probing questions: levels of absence, weaknesses, how you compare with colleagues, what you did to meet urgent deadlines, and whether the referee would rehire you.

The same guide recommends getting the candidate's written permission before contacting references, and doing the check by phone rather than by letter or email, which are often ignored and cannot reveal enthusiasm or hesitation. It lists the people an employer might call: HR, who can usually confirm the position and dates but may not be able to rate performance; your line manager; and a counterpart at your former employer who does similar work^[1]. It also says employers should apply the same discrimination standards as in interviews, and should not ask about marital status, age, religion, disability or national origin^[1].

For you, the lesson is practical: your referees should be able to talk about your actual duties, your achievements and how you worked with others, in line with your CV.

Who to choose as referees

Pick people who worked closely with you and can speak concretely about your work:

• A former line manager is the most expected reference.
• A colleague or client from a project you delivered together, if the role is team-based.
• A tutor, supervisor or volunteer coordinator if you are early in your career and have little employment history.

Avoid naming someone you have not asked. A surprise call to a referee who answers reluctantly, or who barely remembers you, does more harm than a short list.

How to brief your referees

Once you have chosen your referees, a few small steps make the call go well:

1. Ask each person first, and ask again for each new application rather than assuming the answer is still yes.
2. Send them the job advert and the CV you submitted. They then talk about the same role and the same achievements you do.
3. Remind them of two or three things you did together, without telling them what to say. Honest and specific is stronger than rehearsed.
4. Tell them roughly when a call or email might arrive and which company it will come from.
5. Check their contact details and preferred time and way of being reached.
6. Thank them and tell them the outcome, good or bad.

Your current employer

If you are still working, think carefully before naming your current manager. A common approach is to offer other referees, such as a previous manager or a client, and to say that your current employer can be contacted once you have a firm offer, subject to that offer. This is a reasonable request that keeps your job safe while the employer still gets the verification it wants. If you are searching quietly, our article on job hunting while employed covers how to stay discreet.

What your former employer may say

References involve sharing personal information about you, and data protection law allows this for that purpose, according to the ICO's guidance on employment records^[2]. The same guidance says a former employer does not have to share everything a reference request asks for: it should share only what the prospective employer needs to assess your suitability, and it can give a neutral reference limited to your job title and the dates you worked there^[2]. Workers can also challenge information they consider inaccurate or misleading, especially where it could affect them, as a reference might^[2].

This tells you two useful things. First, a short, neutral reference is not a bad sign: it is something the ICO explicitly describes as an option for the employer giving it. Second, if you think a reference contains something wrong, you can raise it.

A separate ICO page, on pre-employment vetting, does not mention references, but it sets out principles that are good to know. An employer that makes its own enquiries about candidates from third parties must tell candidates what information it needs, why, who will see it, how long it will be kept and, where possible, the sources^[3]. The ICO also says the employer cannot assume a candidate is being untruthful when something does not match: the candidate should have the chance to explain, and the employer should consider the explanation^[3].

Keeping track across several applications

References come late and often when several applications are running at once. For each one, note which referees you named, when you briefed them and which version of your CV they received. Then, when an employer says a reference request is coming, you know who to warn and what to tell them. Our guide on tracking applications shows how to organise this, and the one on following up explains what to do if this stage stalls. Once references are done, our guide on interview preparation helps with any final conversations.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

1. ↑ a b c Robert Half UK, "Conducting a reference check: dos and don'ts" roberthalf.com
2. ↑ a b c ICO, "Using employment records" ico.org.uk
3. ↑ a b ICO, "Pre-employment vetting of candidates" ico.org.uk