Send us real things you've made. We check they're yours, assess them honestly, then back you to employers in a written report and on the phone. Every time, we say exactly what we are: an independent reviewer you paid, not a former boss.
Four steps. Everything we tell an employer is something we checked ourselves.
Code, designs, writing, spreadsheets, campaigns, photos of finished trade jobs, a portfolio link. Anything real you made, whether it came from a job, study, freelancing or your own projects.
A short video call where you walk us through the work and answer questions on how you did it, or a small task done live. If we can't confirm it's yours, we say so and the check stops there.
You get specific notes on what's strong and what isn't there yet. Not everyone gets a report: if the work isn't ready for us to stand behind, we tell you what to fix first.
A signed written report you can attach to applications, and a phone call with any employer who wants one. Every call starts with who we are and who paid.
The same opening on every call, so nobody is ever unsure who they're talking to.
A work check isn't a former manager, and we don't pretend otherwise. Some employers will count it as a referee, others as extra evidence alongside one. It suits:
Got one real referee? Use both. We can get that referee ready too.
Nobody here pretends to be your old manager, claims to have worked with you, or says anything we haven't checked. A made-up referee is fraud under New Zealand law, NZ employers do verify, and fake references have a habit of surfacing years later, after the job, the pay rise, and the reference-check clause in your contract. Every employer we speak to knows who we are, who paid, and what we checked. That is the whole point: a vouch that survives scrutiny.
Three pieces, done in about a week, all of it true.
We turn your real work history into a one-page brief for each referee: dates, scope, what you actually delivered. They skim it once. Every answer they then give is true, specific and consistent, because good referees go quiet on the phone and briefed referees don't.
We run the exact call NZ employers run: dates, title, reason for leaving, strengths, weaknesses, and the would-you-rehire question. You hear it first so nothing surprises you. Your referees can get a run-through too.
Standard NZ practice works in your favour here: current-employer references are usually only taken up after an offer is accepted, and only with your consent. You get the exact wording for your CV, the application form, and the conversation with the recruiter.
One-off. No subscription.
Getting a real referee ready
What people ask before booking one.
It's a vouch for your work from an independent reviewer, and we call it exactly that. It isn't a former manager speaking to how you were day to day, and we never present it as one. Employers decide how much weight to give it: some count it as a referee, others as supporting evidence alongside one.
Yes. What makes a fake reference illegal is the employer being deceived about who is speaking or what they know. We say who we are, that you paid, and exactly what we checked, so nobody is misled.
We tell you, with specific notes on what to fix. We only vouch for work we can stand behind, which is the only reason our word is worth anything to an employer.
Then we can't vouch for it, and we'll say so. Walking someone through your own work is usually easy. Talking through someone else's isn't.
Anything you made that shows how you work: code, designs, writing, spreadsheets, campaigns, or photos and plans of finished trade jobs. Tell us what you've got in the form and we'll say whether we can assess it properly.
The legal bits, in plain language. Summarised from SEEK's career advice, which quotes NZ employment lawyer Catherine Stewart. General information, not legal advice.
Short answer: don't. The consequences run from simply not getting the job, to getting the job and being dismissed later, particularly if your employment agreement has an employee representations clause. That clause is your promise that everything you told the employer was true and correct, so a fake referee is grounds for dismissal even months in, after the probation, after you've moved cities for the role.
No. A prospective employer should get your permission before approaching any referee. In practice, current-employer references are usually only taken up after an offer has been accepted, and only with your consent. That is exactly what our current-employer script relies on: you control when your boss finds out, legally.
No. Once your employment has ended, they can decline no matter who asks. The exception is where a settlement agreement, signed off by a mediator under the Employment Relations Act, legally binds them to provide one. This is why we build briefs: a referee who has agreed to help should know exactly what they can honestly speak to.
Opinions in a reference should be honest, truthful and relevant to your work performance, because that is the purpose of a reference. They should not share personal information without reason, say anything defamatory, or discriminate on any Human Rights Act ground: gender, pregnancy, disability, ethnicity, age, political opinion or religious belief.
Every reference question answered honestly. See all guides.
Tell us what you've got and we'll come back within one working day.