The Complete Hiring & Interviewing
Guide 2009

Checking References and Backrounds.

It's important to note the differences between verifying an applicant’s background and checking their references. When you are checking an individual's background, you are looking for details on previous employment, and education.

You may also learn about criminal records if they exist, as well as their personal credit history if it pertains to the position you are interviewing for. Typically this type of background checking must be performed by a special commercial company or human resources professional.

Verifying an applicants references allows you to get a look at an individual's personality as seen by others. Of course, applicants will choose people they feel will provide them with strong references, so you may want to take that into consideration.

You should always check an applicants references and backgrounds before hiring. Many individuals will stretch the truth on their resumes and even give misleading information during an interview, so it's in your best interest to do a little research before hiring.

In fact, even when an individual is completely honest about their experience and credentials, talking with someone else may bring up helpful information that the applicant didn't think to tell you.

It's important that you ask each job applicant to sign a release form that gives you permission to check the person's references. This is just a precaution, and without it, you are really only allowed to ask basic information of your applicants previous employers, such as dates of employment, pay rate and position.

Release Form.
A release form should state that you will be asking detailed questions of the applicants previous employees and references, and that signing of the form will prevent the applicant from later being able to sue you for any information you learn from the background check.

Perhaps this seems a little over the top, but in a society where everyone seems ready to sue, you are only covering your tracks for potential problems. See our letters section for an example of such a release letter.

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Be Specific:
When asking questions of your applicants previous employers, be sure to be specific. If the applicant was giving you detailed information during the interview about his or her contributions to a particular project, you should definitely discuss this with the previous employer. Ask them to describe what the employee contributed to the project, and see if it matches what you were told by the applicant during the interview.

Listen carefully to any information previous employers offer you about the applicant during your discussion. Sometimes they'll say something that is not necessarily negative, but also isn't a fully positive statement either.

Getting a Reference:
Employers are often hesitant about providing negative information. If you are hearing comments that make you question whether or not the employer was happy with the performance of the applicant, simply ask them if they would hire the individual again. If they say no, you can bet you should move on to the next applicant!

When you are talking with references provided by an applicant, keep in mind that the applicant chose his or her own references. They are going to select people they feel will provide them with the best reference, so don't place a lot of weight on what a personal reference says about your applicants. You'll want to pay closer attention to previous employers and supervisors when making your decision.

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