3 Important Things to Do During a Reference Check to Save Picking the Wrong Candidate

More than once, clients have asked me to intervene or provide advice regarding problematic employees. I always believe that if you have a thorough recruiting, onboarding, and review process, you eliminate a lot of potentially problematic employees. A crucial part of this process is reference checking. Letting someone into your business without running a reference check is like letting a street person wander into your house!

Once you have a short list of applicants, always check the following three things:

1) Local and National Labor Relations Websites – Each state has its own state-based labor relations court. When you go to the website, you can search for that person’s name to find out what employment relationship issues they’ve been involved in.

One of the best lessons I learned early on in my entrepreneurial adventures was that there are some people who specialize in bringing employers to employment relationships. If you find your name on a site, you will also be able to access the decision results. Read it over and, if necessary, ask them about it in a follow-up interview.

2) Google the person: The Internet is an excellent source of reference. Enter your name in the main search keys. Look what comes out. You’d be surprised how much information you can get about a person on the Internet!

3) Police Clearance Checks – If you are in an industry or profession that requires police clearance checks, be sure to look at it, make a photocopy, and place it in your file.

In addition to these checks, you must also telephone the referees listed on your application.

WHAT TO ASK DURING A REFERENCE CHECK

The reference checks themselves are extremely important as they give you the opportunity to speak directly with an employer who has had experience working with this person. Normally a person will never give you a bad reference, but at least you get a chance to dig into their work ethic. When you contact the referees, remember that they are giving you their time for free. So respect that.

So what do you ask when you run a reference check?

Always mention where you are coming from and why you are calling. Something like “Hi Bob, I’m Tabitha Wellman from Innova Business Momentum. Amanda Brown gave me your information as a referee. She’s applied with us as a marketing manager. Bob, do you have a couple of minutes to talk about Amanda?”

If they agree to proceed, then ask questions about the applicant such as:

– “How long have you known Amanda and in what capacity?”

– “What would you say are their strengths?”

– “What opportunities for further development did you identify during the time she was with you?”

– “How would you describe your contribution to your business?”; and,

– “Would you hire her again if you had the opportunity?”

Also ask for any additional thoughts or comments about the candidate.

Always keep reference checks short and resist the urge to talk too much about yourself. One of the things that I noticed that he used to do was just listen to the things that he wanted to listen to. If I were interested in a candidate, I would almost lynch the referee if he said anything derogatory about the applicant! The arbitrator may ask what type of job the candidate is applying for. If so, please provide a brief overview and highlight key areas of importance.

For example, “Amanda applied for a position as a marketing manager. She would put together a marketing plan, look into creating marketing strategies, and then make sure they are implemented in the business. Based on your experience, do you think you’re up to it?”

This process may seem onerous and yes, it does take time to get it right. However, the investment you can make in any new employee is well worth it. To make this process easier for you, check out the 22 Essential HR Templates workbook you can purchase on our website and you’ll see that there’s actually a reference check script and fax return form you can use during this process.

REFERENCE CHECK FAX TEMPLATE

So what happens if someone is from abroad? Do you do what most people do and just ignore the reference check phase? Definitely not!

If you’ve been matched with references who are abroad and in a completely different time zone than your own, create a standard reference check fax form that you can send to them. In my experience, most people will respond almost immediately; It’s very rare that they don’t respond. But make the form easy for them to answer too – this will increase your response rate. At the top of the page, be sure to indicate who the reference is for, then put a note asking “could you confirm the following:”

• Date of employment from and to

• Your Position in the company

• Would you hire again YES / NO

• Your reason for leaving

• Was he/she honest and trustworthy? BUT

• Did you work efficiently without supervision? BUT

• Was he/she punctual and regular in attendance? BUT

• Any other comments:

• Have them sign the form and fax it back to you.

Also be sure to thank them for their time on the fax.

IN SUMMARY

Once you’ve done all the reference checks, sit down one more time and decide what this information means. If you raise any questions, be sure to talk more with applicants about them and allay those concerns.

Reference checking is a critical part of your hiring process. Remember, it’s always better to be embarrassed to ask about a brilliant employee than to regret your potentially costly decision down the road.