Making the Most of Reference Checks

radiantskies/123RF.com

Checking a candidate’s references sometimes seems like grunt work. You call the candidate’s former employer, and someone confirms the applicant’s dates of employment and job title. Unless the candidate lied about the most basic facts of his or her background, you do not feel like you gain information to make an informed hiring decision.

You want to speak with people who can directly discuss the candidate’s work performance. Get credible insights into the applicant by:

1. Requiring candidates to provide at least three professional references. A nice, pleasant candidate might be ineffective on the job. References who know the candidate socially can give you limited information to make an informed decision. Only accept social references for entry-level positions (i.e. a dietary aide).
2. Making sure the candidate calls all of his or her references to let them know to expect your call. Tell the applicant you need people who will do more than just verify that you worked at a specific clinic/hospital.
3. Asking references to speak with you as opposed to filling out a form sent via email. If a reference hesitates to answer questions or responds in an odd tone of voice, it raises questions about the candidate’s performance.
4. Inquiring with people you know who worked with the candidate in the past. If your acquaintances worked with an applicant, ask them for their opinions. Make sure to keep all conversations confidential.

Questions to Ask

In addition to good ground rules for reference checks, prepare a set of questions. Start with the basics.

1. Would you rehire this person? If not, why not?  Even though this question elicits more of a yes/no answer, it lets you know how if the candidate left on professional terms.
2. Describe this person’s responsibilities at your hospital (or clinic). Instead of getting just a job title, confirm that the person has the experience you need to do the job.
3. Tell me about the candidate’s skills. Create a list of important technical skills and ask the reference to confirm that the candidate has those skills.
4. How long did you work with (or supervise) this person? You want to find out how long this person witnessed this individual in action.

Move on to open-ended prompts that provide you with a detailed picture of the applicant’s strengths, weaknesses, and interpersonal skills. Some great examples include:

1. Name three personal qualities that describe the candidate.
2. Describe what this person contributed to your unit (or clinic).
3. Tell me about a time you saw this person deal with conflict. How was the conflict resolved?
4. On a scale of 1 to 10 (with 10 being the highest), how would you rate this person’s communication skills? Note: Ask follow up questions when you use a ratings scale.
5. What professional area should he or she work to develop? Note:  References often become defensive when asked to talk about a candidate’s weaknesses. One recommendation is to preface any questions about weakness by adding, “Due to the fact that no one is perfect…”
6. Is there any additional information that you believe I should know about this individual?

Keep the Process Legal

You do not want to ask illegal questions during the reference check. Just as with interviews, questions about race, marital status, and country of origin are off-limits. If you need to delegate reference checking duties to a staff member, make sure he or she understands what constitutes an illegal question.

There are other steps you need to take to guarantee a legal reference check. First, make sure every single candidate signs a release allowing you to check his or her references. Second, guarantee confidentiality to all references. Never share any handwritten notes. You want an organized, thorough process to protect your employer and make sure you hire the best people every time.

Sources

http://www.bridgespan.org/getdoc/71f6d900-9ca8-4cfa-b2fa-8f562a6d5ef3/Nonprofit-Hiring-Toolkit-The-Reference-Check-More.aspx#.Vb7J3aTH_IU

http://hiring.monster.com/hr/hr-best-practices/recruiting-hiring-advice/job-screening-techniques/reference-checking.aspx

http://www.hcareers.com/us/resourcecenter/tabid/306/articleid/568/default.aspx