Job References Explained: Who to Ask, How to Ask, and What They're Asked

Job references usually come at the very end of hiring. Acas, the workplace advice service for England, Scotland and Wales, says the best time for an employer to ask for references is the final stage, when it makes a job offer.¹ By then the employer has often settled on you, and the references are a last check on what you have told it.

Good job references come from preparation more than from impressive job titles, and that preparation has five parts:

1. Choose a recent manager and a peer who saw your work
2. Ask each person, with a short script, before you name them
3. Brief them with the job ad and your resume
4. Know the questions a reference checker asks
5. Plan ahead for a reference you are worried about

References are one of the last steps in a job search you plan from the start; the interviews before them have their own guide to getting ready for each interview round.

Who should you use as a job reference?

The best job reference is someone who watched you work recently, in a professional role: usually your most recent manager, plus a peer or client who worked beside you. The US Office of Personnel Management’s reference checking guide tells federal hiring managers to prefer people who directly observed the candidate, such as supervisors, coworkers or professors, and to avoid friends and relatives. It adds that recent contacts can give more specific and accurate feedback, though an older reference may know the skills the new job needs best.²

The pairing works because the two people see different things. A manager can speak to the quality of your output and whether you hit deadlines. A peer has seen how you share work, handle disagreement and help others, and that is the ground references tend to cover. In a 2018 study by researchers at SkillSurvey, a company that sells online reference checks, and Wilfrid Laurier University in Canada, references describing candidates’ strengths and areas to improve mentioned soft skills, such as working with others and communication, more often than hard skills such as programming.³ Its abstract was the only part available to us.

Many candidates worry that a newer colleague counts for less than someone they have known for years. One study that tested a structured reference call in real hiring looked at that question directly.

The study

Moderate evidence

Referee calls for 223 applicants, checked against later job ratings

Paul Taylor and colleagues, based in New Zealand and Hong Kong, built a 10 to 15 minute structured phone call for entry-level customer-contact jobs in a service organization. Referees rated 223 applicants on conscientiousness, agreeableness and customer focus. Among those hired, the ratings predicted later supervisor ratings of job performance, and the study found no sign that referees who had known an applicant for a shorter time gave less valid ratings.⁴

The study covers one employer and one family of jobs, and we read its abstract only. For choosing references, it suggests that a short working relationship need not weaken a reference, so pick the person who watched you do the work the new employer will ask about.

When the obvious choice is missing

Careers services in the UK and Canada list people beyond your boss who can serve, and their lists cover the most common gaps.

The current-boss problem is common enough that employers expect it, and an offer usually comes before that call. Acas says a UK employer should already have made a conditional offer, and have the applicant’s permission, before approaching their current employer.¹

How to ask someone to be a reference

Ask each person directly, before you give their name to any employer, and ask again for every new application. Mount Royal University’s career services says you must ask permission every time, even if the person agreed before, and give plenty of notice.⁶

Asking first protects both of you. Seattle Pacific University’s career center in the US notes that the request lets you confirm current contact details and check that the person is happy to speak for you and will say something positive.⁷ A reference who is surprised by a call, or only half willing, gives the short, careful answers that make checkers wonder. Give people an easy way to say no, as the script further down does.

Timing follows the employer. Seattle Pacific says employers usually wait until you are a finalist to ask for references, so keep your list ready from the first interview.⁷

Afterwards, thank them, and tell them how it turned out.

Brief your references with the job ad

Send each reference the job ad, your current resume or CV and a few lines on what you hope they can speak to. Mount Royal University lists the resume, cover letter and job description.⁶ The University of Edinburgh adds your motivation for the role and, if you have been out of touch, what you have done since you last worked together.⁵

The reason is what happens on the call. A reference who has read the ad can pick an example that fits; one who has not falls back on general praise. The OPM guide tells checkers to ask questions tied to the job, such as asking about following procedures when the role demands strict rules, and to begin with basics such as your title and dates. Where answers differ from what the candidate said, it suggests giving the candidate a chance to explain.²

A nurse moving into training staff on hospital software, for example, might ask her ward manager to mention the weeks she spent teaching new colleagues the electronic records system. Suggest examples, and leave the wording to them.

1. The job ad: so they know which skills the employer will ask about
2. Your resume or CV: so the dates and titles they give match yours
3. Three examples: pieces of work they saw you do that fit the ad, plus what you have done since you worked together

What questions do employers ask references?

Expect a reference checker to ask how the person knows you, what your job involved, your strengths and areas to improve, how you got on with colleagues, and whether they would hire you again. Those are the core of the nine sample questions in the US Office of Personnel Management’s reference checking guide, which covers:²

1. In what capacity they worked with you
2. A brief description of your duties
3. Your strengths, and your weaknesses or areas to improve
4. Whether they would recommend you for this position, and why
5. How well you knew the work, performed it and managed your workload
6. Your relationships with coworkers, direct reports and supervisors
7. Anything else about your ability to do the job
8. Your training, certificates and qualifications
9. Whether you are eligible for rehire

The weakness question is where an unprepared reference stumbles, either inventing something or going quiet. Agree in advance on a real area you have worked to improve, and what you did about it, so the answer is honest and already has a second half.

Do employers actually check job references?

Many do, usually at the end. A 2020 summary of workforce research for US child welfare agencies, from the Quality Improvement Center for Workforce Development, cites a 2017 SHRM report for the point that most organizations check references, typically just before an offer or with an offer that depends on them. It adds that what comes back varies from a refusal, through a bare confirmation of title and dates, to a detailed account of performance.⁸

1. 1Final interview
2. 2Conditional offerand your permission to contact references
3. 3Reference checkssometimes alongside other checks
4. 4Offer confirmed

The bare confirmation is common in the US. Speaking at SHRM’s 2023 conference, a US background-screening lawyer said former employers usually give only the start date, end date and job title, and told employers that sharing more risks a defamation lawsuit. He advised checkers to ask next what the job involved and whether the candidate could do it.⁹ Acas describes the UK version: some employers give only a basic, factual reference with your job title and dates.¹⁰

Some checks no longer happen by phone at all. SHRM described online services in 2008 that email the candidate a link, after which the candidate invites references to fill in a confidential questionnaire; one vendor did not build its report until at least three references had replied.¹¹ Details vary by provider. If you get such a link, choose people who answer email promptly and tell them it is coming, because a written form leaves no room for tone of voice.

Can a former employer give a bad reference?

Yes, within limits set by each country’s law. In Great Britain, Acas guidance (updated October 2026) says a reference can show that you are not suitable for a job, for example that you lack experience, as long as it is fair and accurate; it cannot be misleading, inaccurate or discriminatory.¹²

In the UK, giving a reference at all is optional for an employer unless it has agreed to in writing, for example in your contract or a settlement agreement, or the job is one of certain regulated financial services roles.¹ Acas says a reference must not reveal protected characteristics such as a disability, should leave out absences linked to disability or parental leave, and should mention disciplinary records only if they are recent and relevant.¹⁰

In the US, SHRM reported in 2018 that no federal law sets out what an employer may say about a former worker. Many states give employers qualified immunity for references given in good faith, which is lost if the employer knowingly or recklessly gives false information or acts with malice; SHRM noted in 2018 that some states, including New York, had no such statute.¹³

In Germany, the rule runs the other way. Section 109 of the Industrial Code, current as checked in October 2026, gives every departing employee the right to a written reference covering at least the type and length of the work, and on request their performance and conduct; it must be clear and must not use coded wording that says something other than it appears to.¹⁴

Anyone working in Northern Ireland or another country should check with their labor ministry, a public employment advice service or a union, because neither the UK nor the US model may hold where they live.

Myth

A former employer is never allowed to say anything negative about you.

Fact

Acas guidance in Great Britain allows a negative reference if it is fair and accurate, and many US states protect truthful references given in good faith.

What to do if you fear a negative reference

Deal with it before the checker does. These steps draw on Acas guidance for Great Britain and on careers services, and most work anywhere:

1. Name someone else from the same employer. Mount Royal University suggests a positive reference from another person at your last job, because leaving the employer off altogether raises questions.⁶
2. Find out what the employer will say. If it only confirms dates and title, the risk may be smaller than you fear; Acas suggests asking for a basic reference where an employer will not give a detailed one.¹⁵
3. Talk to the hiring employer. If a reference causes a problem, Acas suggests asking about their concerns, showing evidence if it was inaccurate, offering other references or discussing a probationary period. In the UK you can also ask the giver or the receiver for a copy, in writing, though a reference given in confidence may be withheld under the UK version of the GDPRGDPR: The General Data Protection Regulation, the European Union's main data protection law, applied since 2018. It sets rules for how organizations collect and use personal data about people in the EU, including organizations based elsewhere, and gives people rights over that data.Full entry in the glossary.¹²

Before you hand over your references

• Two or three people who saw my recent work, including a manager and a peer
• Each person asked for this application, with a chance to say no
• Job ad, resume and three example projects sent to each
• Contact details and how each person knows me checked
• A plan for my current boss and for any reference I am unsure of

When to get advice

Talking to both employers comes first, but some situations need help quickly. Act within days if a job offer is withdrawn after a reference you believe was inaccurate, misleading or discriminatory. In England, Scotland and Wales, a discrimination claim to an employment tribunal has strict time limits, and Acas says the first step is to notify it. Since 1 October 2026 most claims have 6 months minus 1 day, but 3 months minus 1 day may still apply if the problem happened before that date.¹⁶ A claim over a misleading reference that cost you a job needs legal advice, and the Acas helpline can answer questions.¹² In the US, rules vary by state, so an employment lawyer or your state labor department is the place to start. The US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s 2016 guidance adds that a former employer can be liable for retaliation if it gives an unjustified, untruthful negative reference because you complained of discrimination.¹⁷ Elsewhere, contact your country’s labor inspectorate, employment advice service or a union.

If you are offered a settlement agreement on leaving a job, ask whether the wording of your reference can be agreed in it.

The bottom line

The reference call is short, and what decides it is whether the person on the line saw your work and knows what this employer needs. Ask two or three people who watched you work recently, send each one the job ad and your resume, and agree an honest answer to the weakness question before anyone calls.