Playing the Detective; Keys to Conducting Reference Checks

June 15, 2011 - PRLog -- So you’ve interviewed several candidates and you think you’ve chosen whom to hire.  Now it’s time to investigate.  

Before making a job offer offer, always conduct a reference check to avoid learning later that you’ve chosen someone not prepared for the job or who is a liability to your company.  A reference check allows you to confirm information, check for discipline issues and determine if the person is a fit for the role and your company culture.  A reference check now could save you on costs of dealing with poor performance later.

WORKFORCE CENTRAL FLORIDA (WCF) recommends the following when conducting reference checks:

Determine your company policy.  Find out what your company’s rules are about asking for references, as some organizations only allow asking for or responding to basic questions such as dates of employment and title.

Get permission.  When candidates complete an application or interview with your company, ask them to sign a form that authorizes you to check their employment history and references.

Plan your questions in advance.  Just like an interview, draft a list of questions that you will ask the references.  Open ended questions are best when possible.  Popular reference check questions include:
•   What are the candidate’s dates of employment with your company?
•   What was the candidate’s title when working for your company?
•   How were you associated with the candidate?
•   Is the individual eligible for rehire?
•   Tell me about the candidate’s responsibilities when he/she worked for your company.
•   What was it like to supervise/work with this candidate?
•   What skills did the candidate bring to your organization?
•   Do you think this job is appropriate for this applicant?
•   What were the candidate’s strengths and weaknesses?

Provide an introduction to the reference.  Introduce yourself, establish rapport and then ask if the reference has time to speak to you.  Give the reference an idea about how many questions you have and how long it will take.  If he/she agrees, then explain the position you are hiring for and the responsibilities.

Ask a standard list of questions for all candidates.  If you are checking references for more than one candidate for a particular role, stick with the same questions for all.  This will make it easier to compare candidates.

Conduct reference checks via phone.  Although contacting references via email may seem easier, written responses often do not provide the same depth in their responses.  Since the references will have time to think about their responses in written form, the responses are more likely to skip any negative feedback.  You also miss the nonverbal cues, such as silence after a question.

Document the responses.  Always take detailed notes about your reference checks and keep those on file with the applicant’s resume and/or application.

Contact two or three references.  Contact several references such as former supervisors or peers for each of your top candidates.  Feel free to call other contacts that may not be listed on the reference list the candidate provides.

Look at the context of the information.  Don’t base your entire decision to hire or not to hire on the person’s references.  Look at the quality of the information and weigh the information the same for all candidates.

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WORKFORCE CENTRAL FLORIDA is the Orlando area's workforce expert, an authority on workforce planning, programs and the labor market for the Florida counties of Lake, Orange, Osceola, Seminole and Sumter counties.