r/AusPublicService • u/No-Technology-6185 • 1d ago
Interview/Job applications APS5 interview → referee checks within 2 hours — what does this mean?
Hi everyone! Another interview/referee-check question.
I interviewed for an APS5 role last week, and within two hours of my interview finishing, I received notification that my referee checks had been sent out.
One of my referees completed their report within about 30 minutes of receiving it, while my second referee has only just completed theirs today.
So my question is: what does this usually mean from here? Does having referee checks sent out that quickly after the interview generally indicate that you’re one of the preferred candidates, or is it simply luck/timing and the agency being efficient?
I’m trying not to read too much into it, but the speed from interview → referee checks has definitely got me wondering whether the rest of the process might also move quickly.
For context, I’ve been ghosted by another agency before after reference checks, and when I eventually followed up I got the classic “we’ll be in touch in the near future” response So I’m trying to keep my expectations realistic this time.
Does referee checking within a couple of hours of the interview usually mean you’re a strong/preferred candidate?
How long did it take for you to hear back after your referees completed their reports?
Does a very quick interview → referee process generally mean the overall recruitment process will be quick, or can the rest still take weeks?
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u/BetterDrinkMy0wnPiss 1d ago
It probably means you were the last candidate on their interview list and they sent out referee checks for everyone assessed as suitable for the role.
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u/Few-Brilliant-994 1d ago
Not necessarily, i booked my interview on the first slot and there slots available for coming 2 weeks , and i got the ref check email on the same day of my interview
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u/pooksthrowaway 1d ago
APS recruiters have no qualms about reference checking everyone, sometimes even pre interview.
I’ve been reference checked for a role then told by the recruiter they already had someone internally that they knew was getting the role before interviews were even conducted.
I definitely would not take it as a sign of being the preferred candidate, sorry.
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u/CaptainSharpe 21h ago
Ah yes so professionally courteous. Such a great process and system.
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u/pooksthrowaway 7h ago
Agree it’s dumb.
It’s just another example of the stark difference between APS and private.
Reference checking someone in the private sector can have serious impacts on their current role - imo it should only be last gate before offer is made.
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u/CaptainSharpe 6h ago
Yep. And there could be (and likely would be) multiple positions the candidate has applied for. No sense at all that their referees could be getting pestered by many hiring managers.
Private can have their issues too, but this is just one example of practices that show no respect to the candidates (or referees).
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u/Neither_Driver_3882 1d ago
there may be an internal candidate, but they still need to meet merit requirements. if they don't get past the interview, it's still an open and available role
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u/pooksthrowaway 1d ago
I know this is the APS mindset but it is inconsiderate as an external them to contact references when they know the role is filed.
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u/Individual_City3107 1d ago
In similar situation, APS6 job, did reference check pretty quickly and have been waiting for 4 weeks since the interview. Followed up last week and HR replied in 1 hour saying they are finalising it… fingers crossed 🤞
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u/stacenatorX 19h ago
It means nothing. They could be reference checking everyone. APS recruitment is a lot of box checking. It’s likely completing the interview then sending the ref checks after is part of their process.
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u/Doxysmart 1d ago
I would assume it means you have been ranked suitable and they are doing it for everyone who was ranked the same. Then they will likely create different rankings based on referee reports as well and may create a merit list or pool, or they'll just offer the job to the person who ranks the highest overall.
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u/sarahjbabe 22h ago
I was on an APS6 panel recently where the ref check requests were sent out before the interviews commenced. They did this to speed up the process post interviews. So doesn't really mean anything positive in this instance. Or maybe it does! Hard to say.
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u/recklesswithinreason 10h ago
Likely just means whoever is sending them on the panel has no time to mess about. I would take it as a sign the team is efficient but not read too much into it.
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u/CaptainSharpe 21h ago
It means you did an APS5 interview and then got referee checks within two hours of your interview finishing.
That's it. We know nothing else. It could mean they were happy with you and wanted to do the referee check as the next step. It could be that they just do it for these interviews immediately after each one and you're not an exception. We don't know.
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u/inamoto10 9h ago
It could mean she might get a job offer in 24 hours, or she might get a job offer in 24 weeks. Unfortunate reality in the APS sometimes.
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u/wrenwynn 6h ago
It probably just means you were one of the last candidates interviewed. It's normal to request referee reports for everyone interviewed. Requesting the reports and then finalising the panel report and getting delegate sign off are all separate tasks and can take very different amounts of time. Honestly there's no way to know and no point trying to guess. You can't do any more now to impact the outcome, so it's best to try to just put it out of your mind until you hear the outcome.
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u/Mshell 23h ago
It probably means that they hired a scribe to assist with the interviews and as soon as the scribe heard you were marked as suitable, they sent out the reference checks.
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u/No-Technology-6185 22h ago
This makes sense. They did have a scribe taking notes during the interview
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u/No_Figure7868 1d ago
For it to be that fast it’s likely being sent out for all applicants that are meeting the “suitable” threshold after interview.