QMUL Recruitment:
References
A RECRUITMENT GUIDE:
REFERENCES
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QMUL Recruitment:
References
It is the responsibility of the Recruiting Line Manager (RLM) to take up references (or
to designate this activity to a colleague as appropriate). HR can provide template
correspondence for requesting references but will not normally take up or chase
references for Schools/ Departments.
Loading references on i-Grasp
As the RLM, once you have received satisfactory references, upload them onto iGrasp so that HR has a copy:
 Go to the relevant position on i-Grasp.
 Select the Notes tab on the right side.
 Upload the references in the notes section.
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QMUL Recruitment:
References
When to seek references
 Request references only for the applicant you have made a conditional offer
to, particularly for non-academic roles.
o You cannot guarantee receiving a full set of reference for candidates
you have shortlisted so that seeking them at this earlier stage cannot
help you in the selection process.
o Some candidates will not permit you to take up references from their
current employers at an earlier stage.
o It then becomes difficult to justify how you have used references in
your selection decisions, for example, what assumptions do you
make about the references you do not have?
o Consider also the time this takes for people we are not going to
appoint.
 You may take up references for internal candidates as you would with
external applicants:
o
Make it clear to internal candidates that the offer of a role in your team
is dependent on satisfactory references.
o
You may decide only to take up a reference from their current line
manager rather than going outside QMUL, unless the new role is quite
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QMUL Recruitment:
References
different from their current and an additional referee can provide
particular insight.
 References must not be sought for redeployees.
Number and type of references
 One of the referees should be the candidate’s current or most recent
employer (or place of education as appropriate).
 For non academic roles, take up two references.
 For academic roles typically take up three references. This reflects the
reference expectation at promotion rounds, although with the consent of
your VP this may be reduced to two.
 Request references should be requested in written form wherever possible.
o
Email is of course acceptable, as long as you are satisfied the email
comes from the correct person/organisation.
o
If a referee is only willing to give a telephone reference, take notes of
the conversation, advising the referee that you will be doing this. If the
content of the telephone reference leads you to believe the reference
would not be satisfactory to QMUL, please try to encourage the
referee to write down key factual points. If they refuse or are unable to
do this, make sure your notes are as clear and accurate as possible in
recording the conversation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. What if the reference contains very limited information?
A. Increasingly organisations only supply very sparse references as policy.
Although this is frustrating, these still have some value as they can clarify any gross
inaccuracies in CVs in terms of employment dates, job title and sometimes salary. If
references do not chime with the information the candidate supplied, then you should
discuss the conditional offer you have made with HR. Some references are also
sparse if the candidate has not been at an organization for long or the ownership of
that organisation has changed.
Q. What if you cannot get responses from referees?
A. Do one or two chases in intervals of a week, then contact the candidate and
advise them you are having difficulties securing a reference; ask them if they know
why, or if they are able to help move the situation along. If it is their current employer
who is not giving a reference, ask them if they have a central HR department who
should provide a standard reference around dates of employment. If you are still
having difficulties please discuss this with HR.
Q. Can you show a reference you have received to the candidate?
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QMUL Recruitment:
References
A. Not as a general rule. However the candidate can request to see the reference
under the Data Protection Act. They must direct their request accordingly. If you get a
request of this nature, liaise with the Records & Information Compliance Manager
(Paul Smallcombe). Usually you should contact the referee and ask if they are willing
for you to share the reference with the candidate. If they are not willing, then,
following guidance from Paul, some of the reference may have to be disclosed but it
will likely need editing to protect the data rights of the referee.
Q. If I am asked to write a reference how should I do this?
A. Be clear if you are writing a personal reference or a reference on behalf of QMUL.
 If a personal reference, make this clear in the reference and do not use
QMUL headed paper.
 If you are writing on behalf of QMUL, take care that the information you
provide about a current or former employee is factual and accurate, and free
of personal likes or dislikes, since you and QMUL could be held liable for
this.
 References should not include any personal views or opinions about the
employee's performance or conduct that cannot be supported by evidence.
 If you are writing a reference on behalf of QMUL, ascertain that there is no
agreed reference for the individual already. This may be the case if the
individual left QMUL through a Compromise or Settlement Agreement.
 If there is no agreed reference for the individual, the type of information you
would be expected to give includes:
o
The dates on which the individual's employment began and ended;
o
The employee's job title;
o
A short description of the employee's key job duties and level of
responsibility;
o
Whether the individual held responsibility for staff, money, equipment,
computer operations, etc;
o
Any roles that the employee held within the organisation prior to the
job that he or she held at the date of termination (or the current job),
and for how long he or she performed those jobs;
o
If any disciplinary warnings have been issued to the individual during,
for example, the last two years;
o
Where the individual has left the employment, the reason for the
termination, i.e. whether he or she resigned or the organisation
instigated the termination, and, if the latter, whether this was the result
of dismissal, redundancy, retirement or the expiry of a fixed-term
contract.
o
Only include information that is known to the employee.
 Note. When writing a reference on behalf of QMUL, you are under a duty of
care to both the employer that requested the reference and the individual
who is the subject of the reference. To meet the duty of care in respect of
the subject of the reference, ensure that the contents of the reference are
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QMUL Recruitment:
References
factual, accurate, fair and not misleading. References you provide may be
disclosed to the individual by the organisation you sent the reference to.
 Some information about individuals is considered to be particularly sensitive.
This includes:
o
racial or ethnic origins;
o
political opinions;
o
religious or similar beliefs;
o
trade union membership or non-membership;
o
physical or mental health or condition;
o
sex life or sexual orientation;
o
criminal or alleged criminal activities or criminal proceedings;
o
criminal convictions or any sentences imposed by the courts.
 If you are asked to comment on these aspects as a part of your reference
you will need to get the explicit consent to divulge this type of sensitive
information from the person, under the Data Protection Act.
Template 1
Text for Letter /Email giving a reference for a current or former QMUL
employee on behalf of QMUL.
Private and confidential - for the addressee only
Dear [ ]
[Name of employee] [was/has been] employed by Queen Mary University of London
(within the xxxx School/Department from [date] to [date]/since [date] as [job].
(Detail other employment at QMUL if no break in service and jobs in other Schools/
Departments.)
[His/Her] role involve[d/s] [short description of the employee's key job duties and
level of responsibility].
[Name of employee] left the organisation [insert reason for termination of
employment eg resignation, redundancy, or the expiry of a fixed-term contract].
[Insert any other appropriate points in accordance with the organisation's policy on
giving references.]
While the information provided is, to the best of my knowledge, completely accurate,
Queen Mary University of London cannot accept any liability for decisions based on
it.
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QMUL Recruitment:
References
Yours sincerely
Template 2.
Text for Letter /Email requesting a reference for a candidate you wish to
appoint.
Dear
Name of applicant, has applied for the position of ********** at Queen Mary University
of London and has given your name as a referee. I would therefore be grateful if you
could comment on his/her suitability for the position we are looking to offer them. I
attach the job profile and advertisement for the role to assist you in doing this.
I would also be very grateful if you could confirm the dates of [his/her] employment
with you, together with details of the role(s) they undertook at your organisation and a
brief overview of their main activities and responsibilities in this role(s).
(If the current employer) Additionally, please provide details of their current
salary/benefits package, as well as advising me if they have any live warnings for
their conduct, performance or attendance.
I would really appreciate it if you were able to respond by ***** (give at a least 7
days). My email is a.n.other@qmul.ac.uk and fax number is xxxx .
Thank you in anticipation of your co-operation in this matter.
Yours sincerely
Name
Enclosures/attachments Job profile and Advertisement
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