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What references do you accept for cleaning jobs?

Why are references important to your commercial cleaning application?

References are used in our recruitment process to help us assess every applicant’s suitability for the role they are applying for.

It is important to you, that you choose a job role that gives you job satisfaction and that you enjoy doing. 

We have created this resource about references to help give you a clear understanding of what a reference is, how to ask for a reference and the different types of references available to you as a commercial cleaner.

We want you to be fully informed to help you in your application and choose the right career pathway for you.

What is a reference?

A reference is the use of a source of information in order to ascertain something. In the case of a reference for supporting your application for a job, the source or referee is someone who you judge to be able to make a fair assessment of your skills & attributes.

An employer doesn’t usually have to give a work reference – but if they do, it must be fair and accurate. 

There are lots of different types of references

The main types of references that are applicable to you, applying for commercial cleaning roles would be from the following types listed below:

A detailed reference (or character reference) can include answers to specific questions from the employer requesting the reference. Details about your skills, abilities, attributes and experience. Details about your character, strengths and weaknesses relating to your suitability for the new role. Some of this can be subjective, which means it is a person’s opinion based on what they have observed. 

A basic reference (or factual reference) is a short summary of your employment. For example, your job title and the dates you worked there. This can also be known as a standard reference. Typically, an employer will confirm the dates of your employment, the job title you held for that role and the terms on which you left their employment. They will not comment on your character, skills or attributes. It maybe company policy to only provide a basic reference as a way of confirming you were employed by them at a given time. 

Employment references include past employers, co-workers / colleagues, team members / supervisors / team leaders, or previous clients. They can speak about your specific employment experience. These can either be a standard reference or a detailed reference.

Professional references are people who know you on a professional basis. They may include contacts from a previous job, like a supervisor, work colleague or team leader. Usually, this type of reference will include comments on that person’s experience of working with you, and their opinion of your character, skills & attributes.

Personal references are people who know you personally and can describe your skills. This sort of reference can come from a community leader or another person who can show credibility. They can give more of a character reference based on their experience of knowing you for a period of time. This type of reference should be used to back up work references or can be used if you don’t have a recent work reference to help support your application.

It is good to understand what rights you have when it comes to references and we would encourage you to check out the Gov website for more details; https://www.gov.uk/work-reference

Apply to your local WPCS Branch for cleaning jobs

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