Screening & vetting
What is a character reference?
A character reference is a reference about an individual's conduct and reliability, obtained and verified as part of screening. The standard sets who may give one and how it must be confirmed.
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<a href="https://secureoptix.co.uk/glossary/character-reference">What is a character reference?</a> — diagram by
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</figure>Who gives it is prescribed for a reason: a reference from a friend or relative tells an employer very little and is straightforward to arrange, which is why the standard excludes it.
Verification means confirming the referee is who they claim to be and that they actually provided the reference. Referees invented by applicants are a known and recurring problem.
References that only confirm dates are still valuable, because dates are what close gaps in employment history even when the referee will not comment further.
What goes wrong in practice
- References from personal contacts accepted where the standard requires otherwise.
- Referee identity never confirmed, so the reference proves nothing.
- Reference chased after deployment rather than before it.