Can I ask for a copy of notes made in a job interview?

A job applicant can ask for a copy of any notes made by an interviewer about their interview or application. The interviewer has to provide this information unless there are reasons to withhold it. Interviewers should therefore write their notes with release to the applicant in mind.

You are entitled to request a copy of comments a referee has made about you, or information provided in a reference. However, you should be aware that employers are allowed to withhold evaluative material (like reference checks) where that information was provided in confidence (in other words, the referee was told their comments wouldn't be passed on). This means that employers may be entitled to withhold this type of information from you.

If you think you've received a bad reference, you could consider asking the referee what they said, but if they don't want to tell you, you may have to consider using a different referee.