If you have recently applied for a job, you may have been asked to give details of a someone that they could contact for a reference. This may be for a character reference or for a reference as an employer. It is important that you think carefully about who you are going to ask and why. For an employer reference, ideally you want them to speak to the person who employed you in the most similar role, but it should also be a recent employer. It may be that you have applied for a job but have not handed in your notice at your current job or that your employer doesn’t even know that you have been for an interview. If this is the case, then you may wish to give details of a previous employer as well and ask them to only contact your current one if you are offered the job.

Although an employer cannot give you a really bad reference, they do have to be honest so if they are asked a specific question such as if you are punctual and the answer is no then they will have to say so. Always be honest and upfront and explain if there is something that you feel does not look great on a reference.