How to Check Potential Employees' References

The process of finding and hiring new employees often requires verifying an applicant's qualifications. While resumes outline an applicant's view of his experience, potential employees also usually provide references that must be contacted. Learn how to check a potential employee's references to make the right hire the first time.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• Email access
• Writing utensil
• Copies of employees' applications
• Copies of employees' resumes

Verify Potential Employees' References

1. Begin your reference check with a potential employee's most recent employer. Recent contacts can attest to a candidate's current skills and personality. These references are typically in the same industry as your business, which helps to make questions specific to your personnel needs.
2. Ask about the general competency and temperament of a potential employee. All of the applicant's references can highlight issues such as work ethic, organization and team work. These impressions can help you form a personality profile for each candidate.
3. Request that each reference provide an anecdote or specific example of a candidate's work experience that would apply to your business. For example, a story about an employee's willingness to work long hours demonstrates his commitment to his employer's success.
4. Learn about an applicant's ability to deal with new challenges through hypothetical situations. You should ask a reference how he imagines an applicant would deal with a stressful or challenging situation. After requesting an answer to this situation several times with several different references, you should understand the potential an employee has for future success.
5. Leave the potential for further questions or information requests open with each reference. Check a reference's ability to provide additional information in the near future. By working around each contact's schedule, you are likely to receive a fuller view of a potential employee.
6. Send an employment reference form to each contact that an applicant provides. This form can be a simple, one-page document that allows a reference to summarize her views about an applicant's abilities. Websites like All Law provide sample employment reference forms that can provide a starting point for your own form (see Resources below).

Tips & Warnings

• Create a standardized process for checking employee references. You should work with your HR department to create reference forms and questions that are used with every reference contacted. A process that is piecemeal may work in the short term, but uniformity helps future HR professionals suss out the right information on applicants.