Northwest Staffing Blog

Conducting reference checks can be a challenge.

First of all, many Seattle employers – and employers throughout the country – won’t allow any information to be given out other than to verify name, title, and dates of employment. That’s a good start. But you really need more to go on to make a good hiring decision.

Second, even when a reference will provide additional information, many times they put more emphasis on a candidate’s positive attributes and downplay the negative ones, providing artificially inflated information.

So how can you conduct an effective reference check that gives you the answers you need about a possible hire? Here are some tips:

Ask the basics.
Always ask these standard questions:

• How long did you and the candidate work together?
• What was his/her position?
• What were his/her job responsibilities?
• What was your relationship like when you worked together?

Ask some surprise questions.
A good way to get honest information is to ask unexpected questions, such as:

• Did the candidate ask for your permission to be used as a reference?
• How well did the candidate deal with stressful situations?
• What were the candidate’s strengths? Weaknesses?
• Would you rehire the candidate?
• Is there anything else you’d like to tell me about the candidate?

Ask the same set of questions.
In addition to asking the right questions, be sure to develop a set of questions and ask all references the same exact questions. That way, when it comes time to make a hiring decision, you are comparing apples to apples.

Ask only questions that are legal.
Generally speaking, any question that would be considered illegal during a job interview would likely also be illegal during a reference check. For instance, you can’t ask a candidate about their disabilities or religious affiliation; therefore, you are not allowed to ask references about such factors. If a reference starts to talk about out-of-bounds areas, bring the conversation back to job-related information.

If you need help conducting reference checks, contact the Seattle employment experts at Northwest Staffing. We have the experience and know-how to conduct more effective reference checks – helping you to make a better hiring decision.