Applying for jobs.. reference help!

Hi all!

So I left my job of 10 years a few months ago to be a SAHM. I gave notice and my resignation was accepted on good terms (at least to my knowledge). I’m now looking for a part time job and need references.

I contacted my former boss and her supervisor and both responded that they would happily be a “personal” reference. My former boss stated that reference requests have to go through HR. So I looked up the policy and sure enough, it says that current employees will not act as a representative of the institution, and can only provide a personal reference.

I know I will obviously need to call them for clarification, but can anyone give me their interpretation of this?

My concern is, when I fill out an application in the reference section, it asks the person’s name, title, institution, phone number, and relationship. These are required fields. Does being a “personal” reference mean that I can’t put where they work, and what their title is?

What do I do if need “professional” references? I’ve worked at this same institution for 10 years, so all of my references would have to be “personal”.