Job application and references

[Ilovemyshed]

I am currently looking at applying for new roles as I am not particularly happy in my current one. However, it seems pretty common to be asked for references on the application form and insisting on one being current employer.

Given I don't want to tell my employer I am looking elsewhere it feels a bit odd to ask for this at the point of application, rather than offer and acceptance.

Is this now normal practice? What do I do?!

Do they not say somewhere that they won’t contact the current employer without express permission / only when offer accepted ?

When applying for a job the company is not allowed to contact your employer/referees without permission, there will generally be a bit next to where you put your references where they do ask for your permission. I’ve just been in that situation and put on the application that my current employer is not aware that I have applied for the job so not to contact them yet. I was luckily offered the job at the end of the interview and knew there wasn’t anything bad my previous employer could say about me. I appreciate it may be difficult if they insist on references before. Depending on the job you may get away with asking if you can just provide character references

You can put their details and then write "please do not contact this referee with consulting me first"
My DH has done that several times.

But usually the process is to only take up the references of the person who is going to be offered the job

“When applying for a job the company is not allowed to contact your employer/referees without permission,”

Really?

Depends on where you’re from I suppose. And I know the laws where I am have only changed recently, but you now need to sign a release form for your current employer to be contacted. I guess to be on the safe side the op can not give the full details of her current employer until she has an offer?

References in request is fine.

Pretty normal for them to request the reference info at application stage. You can easily note that references should not be contacted unless you are successful in interview, that shouldn't be a problem for any prospective employers.

"References available on request" is the standard phrase for this scenario.