Although professional references remain a standard component of most employment applications, many employers--including many of our colleagues in HR--have all but abandoned checking references, since "anyone can find someone to say something good about them."  Furthermore, behavioral psychology indicates that past behavior is not always an accurate indicator of future performance.  In staffing, I have had many frustrating experiences at being burned by receiving a positive reference on a candidate, only to learn from my own experience that the reference was either false, or the employee suffered an unfortunate self-destruction shortly after being offered a new position.

Reference checks are not perfect indicators of how an employee will perform in a new job, but as part of a comprehensive pre-employment evaluation, they can still have enormous value.  Prior to checking references, it is important to consider who you are actually speaking with.  In some cases, co-workers or subordinates, rather than supervisors, may offer better insight into how the candidate is likely fit into your position & organizational culture.  Before you begin calling former employers not listed on a formal references page of your application, however, you should be familiar with the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), which governs not only credit reports, but background checks of various kinds, including many pre-employment reference checks.  I intend to discuss FCRA in the next newsletter, so stay tuned, or contact me directly (or your attorney) for more information.

There are several types of reference checks, including (1) the "just the facts" style that confirms information supplied on an application & eligibility for rehire; (2) the ridiculously subjective "rank the employee on the following qualities" type of reference; and (3) the more detailed & more valuable (in my opinion) type of check that invites the reference to participate in a conversation about the applicant.  As a rule, many larger organizations will only answer the first kind of check, sometimes only confirming dates of employment & eligibility for rehire.  (For anyone concerned about creating legal liability for your organization, providing honest answers based on verifiable facts is not only an HR best practice, but almost always the best policy.)  The second type of check is, in my view, all but worthless.  The third type of check requires that you speak with someone who has worked closely with the candidate & will feel comfortable speaking candidly about them.  If you run into an unwilling reference, ask your candidate to provide someone with the same organization that will be more receptive.

Having gotten a good reference from your candidate, now what?  The following is a list of selected questions from our repertoire.  Good reference questions are open-ended & should help steer a structured, yet casual, conversation.  Just as in employment interviews, you will always learn more from a natural conversation than from a robo-style, fill-in-the-blanks consultation.

• Dates of employment?
• Candidate's title?
• General responsibilities?
• What is your relationship to the candidate (peer, subordinate, superior)?
• How long have you known the candidate?
• How would you describe the overall quality of work?  (Ask for examples.)
• What areas of performance did you need to work on?
• Strenghts/weaknesses?
• How did the candidate's work compare to the work of others who performed the same job?
• What was the work environment like?
• How would you describe the candidate's communication skills?  (Examples?)
• How does the candidate handle pressure/deadlines?
• How does the candidate get along with co-workers/managers/subordinates?
• Describe their management style.
• (After explaining the position for which you're considering the candidate...) Based on their performance with your company, do you think they would do well in this type of position?  Do you recommend them?
• What motivates the candidate?  How ambitious are they?
• Why did they leave your company?
• Would you rehire them?
• What type of work is the candidate ideally suited for?
• Were there any serious problems that we need to be aware of before making a hiring decision?
• Additional information?

The above questions are general enough to apply to a wide range of responsible positions.  Questions specific to your position & organization should also be included.  One final warning:  To avoid some of the fallacies to which reference checking is subject, you should choose your questions in advance & establish the general framework around which each reference conversation will take place.  A little structure in this respect will go a long way to helping make fair judgments about multiple candidates & even avoid the pitfall of involuntary discrimination.