Information sought from referees should be structured around the requirements of the job and the job description should be provided. It should be noted that many organizations have a policy of not providing personal references and therefore references provided may only confirm details of current requirement. Sample reference request letters are available from HR team.
If the appointment is urgent, the Recruiting Manager may seek to obtain a verbal/telephone reference for the successful candidate providing that standard procedures for doing so are followed.
Referees should not be contacted without the candidate’s consent and the information provided should be treated as confidential by the panel members.
In certain circumstances a school or personal reference is acceptable.