THE PURPOSE OF A REFERENCE CHECK IS:

1. To verify information that the applicant has provided; i.e., dates, title/position, responsibilities, reason for leaving, etc
2. To have the benefit of other opinions about the applicant's work performance, accomplishments, strengths, and weaknesses.

GENERAL GUIDELINES

1. Previous and present employers are the best source of information about a prospective employee. The Yale application form asks the candidate for names of employers, and includes a statement to be signed by the applicant which gives us permission to contact these employers. This written permission must be obtained before any reference can be contacted. As an extra safeguard, the interviewer should verbally inform the applicant that it is customary to check references before hire. This gives the applicant an opportunity to make any relevant comments, or even to request that an employer not be contacted. Since contacting an applicant's present employer may create an awkward situation for the applicant, it is particularly important to have specific permission before contacting individuals at the present employer's company.

2. More often than not, you will be seeking opinions about performance. A phone call rather than a letter is more effective in eliciting frank opinions.

3. References should be checked for all finalist for the position. The fact that references could not be obtained should not normally be the sole reason for turning down an applicant.

4. It is difficult to obtain information from a former employer when you cannot assure confidentiality and, because the selection decision may be grievable, you cannot guarantee this. However, most employers (unless constrained by company policies) will respond to routine questions. Then, by building a level of trust, you may be able to move to more detailed questions.

5. Notes from the reference check should be kept in a supervisor's personal file, not in the employee's file or record. In order to comply with various federal and state regulations, you must retain all materials pertaining to a hiring decision, including any notes made regarding references, for three years.

PROCEDURE

1. Introduce yourself, your position. State the applicant's name and the fact that he/she has given permission for the call. In order to put the person at ease, you might emphasize that you would like to "verify" employment information.

2. Briefly describe the position for which the person is being considered. The questions that then follow should be aimed at obtaining information about the applicant's prior work performance, skills, experiences, and any characteristics that might affect his/her ability to perform the new job. The same questions should be asked of each candidate. Verify the job title of the former employee, the working relationship to the person giving the reference. Verify dates of employment, salary (if relevant) Ask for a brief description of the applicant's duties in the former job. Other helpful information might be the office setting, the size of the operation, other reporting relationships, and working contacts with other employees. What responsibilities demanded the most time? Effort? Independent judgment? Imagination? With what degree of success? Did the person's job change over the course of time? To what extent did the employee cause that to happen? What was the response of others to the person's work (co-workers, clients, other managers, etc.)? What were his/her strongest points, major contributions to the firm? What were the weakest points? What were attendance patterns? Why did the person leave? Would you rehire? Is there other work related information that should be shared?

3. Occasionally you will encounter a reference who resists giving you any information beyond verifying routine facts. The best approach in this case is to phrase as many questions as possible as requests for verification, such as, "Is it true that the employee made many decisions on her own?" You may also appeal to the person's sense of "management responsibility" by prefacing your questions with a remark like: "I know you understand how important it is to both the employee and the employer that there be a good fit." Sometimes higher management levels are more used to providing reference information and are able to cooperate more promptly with your request. If necessary, seek the information from the supervisor's superior.

4. If you receive a generally negative reference on the applicant from an individual, don't stop there. When feasible, you should always make the effort to contact a second reference. To obtain a Pre-Employment Reference Check Form Click Here