Human Resource Blog

Reference Check To-Do List

	Hiring and Staffing
Complete Business Forms Kit CD Form I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification Employment Application Long Form Substance Testing Consent Form Pre-Employment Reference and Background Check Employment Offer/Acknowledgment Receipt of Employee Handbook New Hire Survey

	HR Management
Confidential Employee Folder Confidential Employee Medical Folder Job File Worksheet Folder Daily EEO Applicant Flow Log Workplace Information Sheets Request to Inspect Personnel Files

	Workplace Management
Attendance Organizer for 2008, 2009, or 2010 Employee Warning Notice Employee Counseling Report Performance Improvement Plan Employee Performance Evaluation Form Employee Final Warning Notice Separation Checklist Harassment Prevention Kit

I am getting ready to make my first reference check call with this new company I joined in Indiana and I would like some guidelines that can help me be thorough. Do you have any such guidelines?

Of course. When you are making your reference checks, you will most likely ask the same questions regardless of what state you are in, so whether you are in Indiana or California, the questions will probably be the same.

One of the first things that you should think about when you create your list of questions is whether or not those questions might be discriminatory. Therefore, it is a good idea to review Title II before making your questions, which is a federal document that prohibits workplace discrimination based on characteristics such as race, religion, gender and age. For example, if you have not yet met a candidate, you would not want to ask the reference for information about his or her age.

Next, you will, of course, want to ask about the disciplinary track record of the candidate. Make sure that he or she has not been disciplined by her previous employers and that the candidate has been honest with you during the application process. Many employers might want to know about attendance. You may not, however, ask about the number of sick days that the candidate took, according to the Americans with Disabilities Act, which is a federal Act that governs the medical privacy of workers in all states.

Ask whether or not the candidate achieved his or her goals. You may want to find out what the previous employer believes were the strengths and weaknesses of the candidate. Additionally, you can ask questions about specific projects that the candidate worked on. Find out how the candidate performed in a group setting, and how independent the candidate is as well.

Keep in mind that when you perform your reference check, you will want to find quantifiable and qualitative information about a candidate so that you can better assess the skills and characteristics of a job candidate before you offer him or her a job.