The Golden Days of Glowing References

Part of my job as a charity fundraising recruiter is to collect references on behalf of my clients. More and more I am receiving factual references (ones that simply state the job title and length of service). It seems that character references (ones that actually give an indication of a candidates ability to perform at work as well as their suitability for a job they have been successful in applying for) are becoming a thing of the past.

Prospective employers will only offer a job subject to references, but when a reference comes back simply stating the facts, what is it actually worth?

There is a real mismatch here. A great deal of emphasis is put on a document that actually contains very little information or gives any insight into a persons suitability for a future role. Now, I am not naive, I do understand that in the past liberties have been taken, we all know those horror stories you hear about references being given simply to remove someone from their current job etc. But, if more and more organisations make the decision to only give factual references should we be looking for an alternative way of endorsing a candidate in their new role?

I would love to have the answer, I don't as yet..