Referee reports/references - Aus public sector
#1
Referee reports/references - Aus public sector
Hopefully this thread might become useful for anyone thinking of applying for public sector work here.
I have now had a couple of seemingly promising interviews here, and my UK referees were promptly contacted by email with a long and detailed list of questions to which they replied. So far, no positive news back on the jobs.
My understanding is that in the UK, contacting referees is the final, largely cursory, step prior to appointing one successful candidate. Indeed, it's not uncommon for job offers to be made "subject to satisfactory references".
Apparently this is not the case here, and it seems that references may be used to select between different candidates (which is manifestly unfair imo, as candidates cannot control the personality of their former managers - some of whom will be more restrained/critical/matey than others).
It would be easy to say "your referees are talking you down", but in one case I have seen the response and it was fine, although perhaps not quite as effusive and lengthy as might be given by an Aussie public servant who spends all day writing and reading referee reports and understands the importance of the process here. In the UK it would have been a perfectly satisfactory response, and the job would have been duly offered.
Any advice from a public sector wonk would be very gratefully received.
I have now had a couple of seemingly promising interviews here, and my UK referees were promptly contacted by email with a long and detailed list of questions to which they replied. So far, no positive news back on the jobs.
My understanding is that in the UK, contacting referees is the final, largely cursory, step prior to appointing one successful candidate. Indeed, it's not uncommon for job offers to be made "subject to satisfactory references".
Apparently this is not the case here, and it seems that references may be used to select between different candidates (which is manifestly unfair imo, as candidates cannot control the personality of their former managers - some of whom will be more restrained/critical/matey than others).
It would be easy to say "your referees are talking you down", but in one case I have seen the response and it was fine, although perhaps not quite as effusive and lengthy as might be given by an Aussie public servant who spends all day writing and reading referee reports and understands the importance of the process here. In the UK it would have been a perfectly satisfactory response, and the job would have been duly offered.
Any advice from a public sector wonk would be very gratefully received.
Last edited by DC10; Jan 11th 2012 at 12:23 am.
#2
Re: Referee reports/references - Aus public sector
That's how it is in the private sector in Australia
#3
Home and Happy
Joined: Dec 2002
Location: Keep true friends and puppets close, trust no-one else...
Posts: 93,787
Re: Referee reports/references - Aus public sector
Hopefully this thread might become useful for anyone thinking of applying for public sector work here.
I have now had a couple of seemingly promising interviews here, and my UK referees were promptly contacted by email with a long and detailed list of questions to which they replied. So far, no positive news back on the jobs.
My understanding is that in the UK, contacting referees is the final, largely cursory, step prior to appointing one successful candidate. Indeed, it's not uncommon for job offers to be made "subject to satisfactory references".
Apparently this is not the case here, and it seems that references may be used to select between different candidates (which is manifestly unfair imo, as candidates cannot control the personality of their former managers - some of whom will be more restrained/critical/matey than others).
It would be easy to say "your referees are talking you down", but in one case I have seen the response and it was fine, although perhaps not quite as effusive and lengthy as might be given by an Aussie public servant who spends all day writing and reading referee reports and understands the importance of the process here. In the UK it would have been a perfectly satisfactory response, and the job would have been duly offered.
Any advice from a public sector wonk would be very gratefully received.
I have now had a couple of seemingly promising interviews here, and my UK referees were promptly contacted by email with a long and detailed list of questions to which they replied. So far, no positive news back on the jobs.
My understanding is that in the UK, contacting referees is the final, largely cursory, step prior to appointing one successful candidate. Indeed, it's not uncommon for job offers to be made "subject to satisfactory references".
Apparently this is not the case here, and it seems that references may be used to select between different candidates (which is manifestly unfair imo, as candidates cannot control the personality of their former managers - some of whom will be more restrained/critical/matey than others).
It would be easy to say "your referees are talking you down", but in one case I have seen the response and it was fine, although perhaps not quite as effusive and lengthy as might be given by an Aussie public servant who spends all day writing and reading referee reports and understands the importance of the process here. In the UK it would have been a perfectly satisfactory response, and the job would have been duly offered.
Any advice from a public sector wonk would be very gratefully received.
#4
Re: Referee reports/references - Aus public sector
Sure enough - a rejection letter in today's post for one of the jobs. I can't believe they would waste my referees' time like that. Probably took them a good 1-2 hours (they are busy people) to write the references and then they give the job to someone else
And they tell themselves Australia is the land of the "fair go"...!
And they tell themselves Australia is the land of the "fair go"...!
#5
Re: Referee reports/references - Aus public sector
Sure enough - a rejection letter in today's post for one of the jobs. I can't believe they would waste my referees' time like that. Probably took them a good 1-2 hours (they are busy people) to write the references and then they give the job to someone else
And they tell themselves Australia is the land of the "fair go"...!
And they tell themselves Australia is the land of the "fair go"...!
#6
Re: Referee reports/references - Aus public sector
Sure enough - a rejection letter in today's post for one of the jobs. I can't believe they would waste my referees' time like that. Probably took them a good 1-2 hours (they are busy people) to write the references and then they give the job to someone else
And they tell themselves Australia is the land of the "fair go"...!
And they tell themselves Australia is the land of the "fair go"...!
#7
Re: Referee reports/references - Aus public sector
In terms of the point about countries - in the UK civil service I do not believe that references (*apart from above) would be used to select between candidates. So yes, it is about this country's civil service procedures.
#8
Re: Referee reports/references - Aus public sector
What is unfair is that references - apart from awful "He is a thief" "I would never employ this person again"* ones - are subjective depending on who wrote them and not necessarily on the candidate. A fair recruitment process ought to be about the candidate, not the referee.
In terms of the point about countries - in the UK civil service I do not believe that references (*apart from above) would be used to select between candidates. So yes, it is about this country's civil service procedures.
In terms of the point about countries - in the UK civil service I do not believe that references (*apart from above) would be used to select between candidates. So yes, it is about this country's civil service procedures.
I think referees reports are very useful - some people can write fabulous applications and know just how to write to selection criteria but they are hell on earth to work with and (heavens above) are even known to tell big porkies about their achievements - referees are very useful in that regard. Others dont do well at interview for a whole range of reasons but might be the very best person for the job but just dont sell themselves very well on the day - referees can be very helpful in that regard too.
I believe the APS procedure is that usually they will usually go to referees for the short listed/interviewed candidates and that referees for each candidate are given the same opportunities to respond.
Well done on getting an interview - it can be very difficult to crack the APS!
#9
Forum Regular
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 77
Re: Referee reports/references - Aus public sector
Don't know if its any better or not in Oz (probably not says my cynical brain :P), but its certainly not all roses here in the UK.