I'm looking to leave my current job and i have applied to a number of others. I was just wondering is it possible for me to request a copy of the reference that my current employer sent to my new potential employer. I was just wondering since i have lost out on a couple of jobs during the reference stages, i think its possible that my current employer is writing a crap reference just to keep me.
Don't know what field of work you are in but reference letters are mostly outdated these days - it is more usual to include a referee instead - both professional and private.
You can ask to see anything on your employee file that your employer keeps on you. You may have to pay (a tenner or so) though they can't refuse you access to it.