Reference checks after interview
hello everyone, I want know if its common procedure to do reference check 1-2 days after interview for a govt role. I did an interview with department of education in feb and 2 days after my interview, they contacted all 3 of my referees. My referees replied within 1-2 days and there was radio silence post that. After multiple followups, I was told a month later that I was unsuccessful for that role.
I did another interview 2 days ago with a different govt dept and today my referees were contacted for a reference check. Does that mean I’m one of the preferred candidates or is this just part of the recruitment process? Also if they aren’t sure whether I will get the role, why are they contacting all my referees? This is the second time that my referees will have to spend time on answering questions about me and I’m not even sure whether I’ve proceeded to the next stage of recruitment process. Can anyone tell me if this is common practice for all govt roles?
Thank you.