KEY questions answered by the experts.

Q: A COLLEAGUE recently went for a job interview but was turned down after receiving a bad reference. Is it possible to request a copy of this to see what was written?

A: IT is worth referring to the Data Protection Act to understand your rights in this situation.

Generally, you are not entitled to obtain a confidential reference from the person or body which gave it.

But you would be entitled to see a reference held by the person to whom it was supplied, except where this would identify the individual who gave it.

The fact that it may identify the organisation that gave it is not relevant.

This means that if you are turned down for a job, you can ask to see any references received by the employer who turned you down, so long as these did not identify the individual who gave the reference.

However, you would not be entitled to obtain a copy of a reference from the person or body which gave it, even if it could be disclosed without identifying the individual concerned.

In practical terms, the best thing to do in this situation is to try to find out exactly who provided the reference – this may be as simple as contacting the referees that you may have provided for your job application.

Give them a call or drop them an email to see where the problem lay. In future, make sure you choose your referees carefully.

JENNY UNGLESS
Life coach, Monster UK and Ireland