A reference issued during the term of an employment relationship is always an interim reference. Such a reference can be requested from the employer if there is a legitimate interest. Find out here what constitutes a legitimate interest and what must be included in an interim reference.

The interim reference

A reference issued during the term of an employment relationship (even during the notice period) is always an interim reference. An interim reference can be requested from the employer if there is a legitimate interest. Legitimate interests include, for example, the following reasons:

• Change of manager

• Change of role within the company

• Change of department

• A restructuring 

• In the event of a company takeover / merger

• For education or training

• in the case of a planned change of job

An interim reference is similar to an employment reference (full reference) and contains the same content. One difference is the tense. An interim reference is always written in the present tense, as it is a reflection of the current situation, whereas an employment reference is always written in the past tense, as it looks back on the period of employment. Another difference is that, of course, no reason for termination is given in an interim reference, even if the interim reference is issued during the notice period. In addition, it must be noted that an interim reference may refer to a previously issued interim reference. However, this is not possible in a final reference, as an employment reference must always be complete. If an employer refers to an earlier interim reference in a full reference, the employee has the right to have this reference removed.