RVU employees who wish to provide references for current or former colleagues for professional appointments must make it clear that they are doing so as a personal acquaintance or friend, and not as a representative of or in their capacity as an employee of the University. State law may mandate that any references must be accurate and in good faith. Accordingly, in drafting a reference, RVU employees must adhere to the following:
- any information provided in a reference must be accurate and factual,
- reasonable care must be taken not to give misleading information,
- reference should be limited to job and professional skills, abilities, and knowledge relevant to the position,
- reference should never contain commentary on a person’s personal life, including mental or physical health, and
- all statements must be verifiable and supported, not conclusory, particularly any negative comments.
State law may require the University to provide a copy of a reference to the employer or former employee upon their request. If an employee receives a request for a professional reference, they should forward it to Human Resources preferably at the same time the reference is provided to the requester or when RVU receives a formal request from the person to whom the reference is intended. The RVU employee providing such a professional reference must maintain a copy in their files. Professional references must not be issued on RVU letterhead.