I'm going with the majority opinion on this. It's perfectly fine for you to look up my past work relationships for people you know and trust for an objective o

I'm going with the majority opinion on this. It's perfectly fine for you to look up my past work relationships for people you know and trust for an objective opinion of my skills - but you damn well better let me know and get my permissions before-hand. I'd like to know whom of my associates you're calling and get their permissions for it beforehand. Skipping this step is just an unbelievable dick move on your part and will make me seriously reconsider working for you.