The simple job reference contains the essential information about the job and duration of employment. The main contents include personal data on the employee, their previous position within the company, professional development, their field of activity, tasks completed, and the length of employment. The tasks completed should be described in a clear, truthful way so that potential future employers can follow the applicant’s professional experience. When it comes to a simple job reference, you usually omit any evaluation of the employee’s performance. These references are typically requested to provide certified proof that the employee held the position. They are becoming more and more obsolete. The most common way of confirming a candidate’s job history is to contact previous employers with the contact information provided on the CV, rather than requesting a simple reference.
Omitting an evaluation in the simple reference is both an advantage and a disadvantage. If there were any problems with the employee during their tenure, these are not documented. However, a lack of detailed evaluation on the employee’s personal behaviour can lead to mistrust amongst potential new employers. Why does the applicant not have a detailed job reference? However, there are also other circumstances where a simple reference makes sense. If the employment relationship was too short to provide any substantiated information about the employee’s behaviour, a simple reference may be the appropriate choice.