Source: swtimes.com…..
“I once hired a consultant who claimed a level of education he had only dreamed of, and I had only myself to blame when his poor work performance was so bad his contract had to be cancelled. I had not checked his references before he was hired.In another case, an employee I had inherited had to be terminated for job abandonment when she was arrested for fraud and theft. She had been convicted of stealing a substantial amount of money from a former employer, and had been hired without a reference check.A critical component of the hiring process is checking applicant references, yet most hiring managers either do a cursory check and call it good, or don’t check at all. Why? It’s too hard to get the information you need.Companies are reluctant to release reference information for fear of being sued for libel or breach of privacy. However, current laws protect companies who provide references for former employees when the information given is truthful, factual and given in good faith.Arkansas Act 1474 specifically protects companies from liability when the above conditions are met. Most states now have similar protections in place.Furthermore, in most states, companies are now held liable for not providing requested reference data in cases where refusal to answer reference questions led to the hiring of employees who later committed acts of violence against the company or other employees.There are examples by the dozens of bad hires because of failure to complete pre-hire reference checks. But the bottom line is money. Turnover causes bad morale, poor productivity, loss of sales and opportunity, higher errors and quality rejections, poor customer service and the cost of replacing those bad hires. Tens of thousands of dollars in lost profits could be the result.So how do you get the references you need?Before you interview a candidate, verify the employment data given on the application and resume. Call the personnel departments to verify employment. Confirm dates of employment, job title and last pay rate.After an interview, for your final two or three candidates, verify the “can do” and “will do” aspects of previous employment. Talk to previous supervisors and ask about attendance, quality record, productivity, performance review results, warnings and problems, and reason for leaving. If possible, get eligibility for rehire and whether the supervisor would recommend the applicant for your particular position.If personnel staff and supervisors cite “policy” as a reason for refusing references, gently remind them that the applicant gave you permission to check, and if you cannot get the information you need, the applicant will not be hired. Try opening your conversation with, “Hello, this is (your name) and in compliance with (your state’s) law I’m calling for an employment reference on (applicant’s name.) He/she has given me written permission to check the references, and that includes a release from liability for you when you do that. Can you verify the dates of employment please?”Be sure to compare your reference information with the information on the formal application and the resume, and what you learned in the interview. Look for gaps in employment, discrepancies in dates of employment, job titles and rates of pay, and so on.The most common kinds of “alterations” in applicant data are different dates of employment, claimed education or certification that is not true, claimed employers or job titles that are not true, changed reasons for leaving, and lying about a criminal record.These are all lies, and you don’t want to hire a liar.”
Pat Kelley, MS, SPHR, is the author of “Hiring Right: A Business Blueprint for Lower Turnover and Higher Profits, Second Edition.” She is a retired director of human resources with more than 43 years’ experience. Her column appears twice monthly in the Times Record. Visit her website at www.patkelleyauthor.net.- See more at: http://swtimes.com/columns-blogs/pat-kelley/management-matters-checking-references-critical-hiring-success#sthash.T5Uxh3br.dpuf