Question

3. How would you do the reference check and create reference checklist/questions that you would use to conduct employment reference checks on the successful applicant

Answer 1

Reference check :-

An employer when contacts with a job applicant's previous employer or boss to know more about applicant's employment history, salary details, designation of a job etc. This process is done mainly to verify whether the applicant gave the right information to the current employer or not. Reference check employer also contacts applicant's school, colleges etc. for verification.

Reference checklist :-

Before calling the reference person it is important to tailor the whole concept and make a list of all the questions that I am going to ask. A reference form may also given to collect the reference list from the applicant.

Applicant - ______________________

Designation - ____________________

Company -_______________________

Reference person's position - __________________________

Company - ____________________

Contact No. - ______________________

email ID - ______________________

Various ways to do reference check :-

Reference check helps employers to find a qualified candidate for the position in an organization. So, it is an important step in the process of recruiting people. But some companies may skip this process because of their lack of time. So, while conduccting a reference check I may follow these steps :-

1. Before calling any reference person, it is important to keep in mind that this process will take atleast an hour.

2. Next after calling the reference person I will try to introduce myself i.e. my name, on behalf of which company I am calling from and regarding which candidate's background information etc.

3. Showing courtesy can put a nice impression i.e. asking the reference that whether or not it is a good time to discuss these things or if he's busy right now or not etc.

4. It is very important to make sure that the conversation may remain confidential between the two people. So, I may have to make that person understand about the importance of the reference check to find the right candidate for our organization.

5. Now after all the introduction, I may ask the reference regarding the designation the candidate was working as. And with that also describe the reference person in which designation the candidate is going to work. So, that the person can comment on the topic according to his experience.

6. At this time it may be appropriate to ask them regarding the capabilities (social, mental and physical) of the candidate.

7. If any organization doesn't allow employers to contact with the references directly then employers can use backdoor verification. It is done by finding any person in the organization known by the candidate and asking them regarding the applicant. It is preferable not to be negative while discussing about the candidate.

Some of the sample which an employer can ask references :-

If I need to hire some person for an organization, then I would ask some basic simple questions to the reference, so that they also will not be annoyed by this. It is also true that not many employers cooperate with this reference process and they don't like to disclose employees' salary details, but some may like to share details about the attendence at work, their involvement at work, their attitude towards coemployees etc regarding the said candidate.

• When did applicant started working in your company?
• How was his or her performance overall?
• Did he or she had any unique skill to provide to the organization?
• What was the reason behind his or her poor attendence performance? (This question can be asked if the candidate had poor attendence percent)
• In what position do you think the candidate is suitable for?
• What were his or her strength and weakness in your company?
• Why did he or she leave your company?
• What was his or her salary (starting and ending both)?
• How was he or she performing with a team?
• How was he or she managing the previous team (if hired as a manager)?
• What was his or her previous designation?
• Did he or she got promotion while working in your company?

While concluding the topic, i may ask reference some tricky question.

• Is there anything I have'nt asked that you want me to know?
• Would you like to re-employee him or her?
• Was he or she a valuable member for the organization?

The tricky question at the last is not always necessary to ask, but to narrow it down more, these questions can help me for taking my decision. These simple question can give me a good idea about the applicant, and I can conclude myself whether to hire him or not or he is perfect for the position or not.

Hope this helps :)