To create a reference check strategy for your next hiring decision, a number of important questions need to be addressed. At the end of Section 6, practitioners are asked to offer feedback on the content of the Guide. This Guide is intended for anyone involved in developing, implementing or evaluating structured reference checks in the federal public service. This is the tendency for assessors, as they become fatigued during a lengthy assessment process, to become less consistent or less vigilant in their application of the assessment criteria. Or, perhaps you have been used as a reference by an employee who reported to you at one time, although not most recently. Sometimes managers agree to be a reference in a moment of weakness--they're caught off-guard by the request and agree because they don't know how to politely decline. "If an employee feels like a reference was defamatory in any sense and the employee decided to sue the employer, throughout the course of the litigation, the employer would have to produce certain evidence to demonstrate why they gave that reference," he revealed. Last, while you're still managing people--long before they ask you for references--do your best to make sure they know where you stand on their work. The Harvard Research Paper, In Chasing Stars: The Myth of Talent and the Portability of Performance, showed that context, (networks, resources and colleagues), heavily influence individual performance in a business. Home Working, jobs and pensions Finding a job References: your rights An employer does not usually have to give a work reference - but if they do, it must be fair and accurate. If there are multiple referees from different occupational levels (peers, employees and managers), it may be useful to integrate the information provided by referees within each level to obtain an overall rating for that level. They may feel good references are exaggerated. Questions for verification. How many of the behavioural indicators for the competency were evident? as well as to verify their former employment. Verifying the accuracy of the information that is provided by job applicants on other assessment methods such as application forms, interviews and rsums; Assessing some of the qualifications from the Statement of Merit Criteria in order to predict applicant success on the job; Uncovering patterns of desirable or counterproductive behaviour in an applicant's work history; and. Keep up to date with developments at Veremark. To help inform their ratings, assessors should ask: Ratings provided for each competency should be accompanied by a brief explanation why the rating was given, based on the behavioural evidence provided. How to give a reference call for a bad employee - Blogs An effective pre-employment screening process will, occasionally, yield a bad reference. A common misconception is that discussing the job performance or behaviour of an employee is illegal. Or, suggest coordinating via email. Informal Discussion and Applicant Feedback, Appendix 1 - Structured Reference Checking Form Template, Appendix 2 - Tips for the Reference Checker, Appendix 3 - Sample Instructions for Applicants on Selecting and Preparing Referees, Appendix 4 - Sample Instructions for the Referee, Human Resources Professionals Association (, The Society for Human Resource Management (, The Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology (, The National Association of Professional Background Screeners (. Keep in mind when you are asked for a reference that every former employee deserves the opportunity to start overno matter the terms on which they parted from your organization. What you need to know about reference checks - SEEK Other types of scales include numerical, verbal or combined formats. Jeff is a lawyer in Toronto who works for a technology startup. Monster makes it easy to post a job and get seen by great candidates. Then, contact the person responsible for the appointment so that you may discuss alternatives such as obtaining another name from the applicant. However, be prepared for savvy reference checkers to ask if this is your policy across the board or just for this candidate, or to offer you a release from the candidate allowing you to discuss her work. Talk with your attorney before responding to any reference check about a potentially violent employee. Stereotypes. A professional reference is a statement from a previous colleague, client or employer about your time working together. Employers may conduct reference checks as part of a pre-employment background check. Are there qualifications that are best evaluated over time (. 5. This shows that they have constructively dealt with their failure and can still be an asset to your organization. Reference checks gather qualitative information about the applicants performance, skills, weaknesses and similar matters. Consider the following steps to encourage their participation and enhance the quality and breadth of the information obtained: Once the discussion is initiated, ask the preliminary and verification questions included in the Reference Checking Form. We encourage hiring organizations to fully utilize this Guide as they continue to build a public service that is merit-based, non-partisan and strives for excellence. Good Reference Checks vs. Bad Reference Checks | GoodHire It is defamatory to say someone lacked work ethic or did not meet the requirements of the job just like it is defamatory to say someone was guilty of sexual harassment at work. If the evidence is of greater quality and depth than what is described in the behavioural indicators, a rating of "4" or "5" may be given. If qualifications have been assessed by other means, do they require verification? For information on the informal discussion process, please refer to thePSC Policy on Informal Discussion and thePSC Guide to Implementing the Informal Discussion Policy. Rather than relying solely on the "safe" references that most applicants provide, ask for the names of additional references. A good hire is the surest way to eliminate from your workforce problem employees, who consume their managers time with performance issues, waste recruitment, hiring and training dollars and generate severance costs, when they are dismissed. What is the purpose of the reference check? In addition, several tools for the practitioner are provided in the appendices, including a Reference Checking Form, summary tips for the reference checker and sample instructions for applicants and the referee (the person who acts as an applicant's reference). Collecting behavioural evidence.Begin the process by asking the referee to consider the behavioural indicators for a particular competency before asking them to provide examples of how the applicant has demonstrated these behaviours on the job. If information is conflicting, continue checking until you are satisfied that a pattern is evident. Here are steps you can follow to verify a candidate's information: 1. How the applicant performed with a former employer is an indicator of how the candidate is likely to perform in the future for you. Job title, and occasionally, job responsibilities, Provides a checklist that asks the former employer to rank such characteristics as "teamwork" and "dependability," and. The reverse, dissimilar-to-me, can also occur where an applicant is given a less favorable evaluation than warranted. This is because if you reject the candidate based on their poor attendance record, (which was due to disability), you are at risk of a legal claim being made under the Equality Act 2010. Accordingly, in line with the law of defamation, the law of bad references is this: Employers are allowed to make defamatory statements (i.e., bad references) about past or present employees so long as they have one or two of the classic common law defences to defamation. A casual approach to a reference check could stick you with a new hire who winds up not being the best fit for the job. 2. As catastrophic as the situation may feel, bad references arent always as damming as they at first appear. Again, this depends on the type of checks you need. These areas include questions related to: hobbies, social activities, political beliefs, residence, medical status, and any past legal actions including workers' compensation claims and safety complaints. Are there qualifications that are not assessed entirely by other means? Set the tone. Extrinsic evidence is evidence of surrounding circumstances. Unable to observe. Inform the former employee that your company will be happy to provide employment confirmation from Human Resources to specific employers who inquire directly. See what to do. These are the kinds of reference check questions a potential employer will ask if you return a reference checking phone call. Bad references are defamatory by nature. What to do When a Candidate Has a Bad | Enterprise IT Resources If you're doing your job as a manager and giving clear and regular feedback, most employees will leave your team with a good understanding of what kind of reference you'd be likely to give them, and it shouldn't come as a surprise when you explain you can't provide a good one. Occasionally, an exiting employee will leave a signed reference check permission form in their employment file. Research differs on which is the best option. The PSC Assessment Policy requires deputy heads and their delegates to ensure that "the assessment is designed and implemented without bias, political influence or personal favoritism and does not create systemic barriers." It is important to begin the interview by establishing a comfortable rapport with the referee and by ensuring that they understand the purpose, content and duration of the reference check. Lack of time: Former employers and coworkers might have limited time to answer your questions. ensure that the referees have agreed to provide reference information and are available during the assessment process; ensure that accurate and current contact information is provided so that the referee can be reached easily; indicate the official language of preference of each referee on the list; and. "Employers should implement behavioural-based interviewing in a reference check situation," says Maligaspe. Employment background checks enables you to understand more about your candidates before making crucial decisions which can have either beneficial or catastrophic effects on your business. A bad reference is when a former employer suggests to your potential new employer that you might not be an ideal candidate for a job. Preliminary questions. Fear of reprisal and lawsuits keep many employers from responding at all. When assigning competency ratings using a rating scale, the assessor should compare the referee's description of the applicant's behaviour with the behavioural indicators provided. If the employee left your company under a cloud, whether the employee was a bad fit for their job, a non-contributing employee for other reasons, or unmanageable, refer the call or the form to Human Resources staff for a standard response. Assessors need to be aware that they might have a different understanding of the requirements of the job and the qualifications assessed, but also that they need to be fair in assessing applicants. When responding to a phone call, the manager should make certain that the employee's signature authorizing the reference check is on file with Human Resources before returning the phone call. You might be a victim of Reference Slamming. When the employee worked for me, in their position with my company, he or she was a strong contributor whose work was appreciated. It's harder with the marginal performer. might be asked. 2 isn't feasible, you can fall back on saying you can only confirm title and dates of employment. There are no employment standards rules or regulations about job references in Canada. In particular, referees should: The most up-to-date, comprehensive information on the applicant's competencies will come from the referees with whom the applicant has worked the longest and the most recently. When collecting behavioural evidence, your primary responsibility is to take detailed notes and to ensure sufficient coverage of the behavioural indicators. All Veremark checks are carried out online and digitally. Review the documentation regarding the person who was eliminated from consideration. These notes are critical to the reconstruction of the interview process and may be required to defend an employment decision based on the reference check. Maybe his personal life and marriage were unraveling during his tenure with your firm. As a manager yourself, you probably rely on references to give you the inside scoop on candidates, and if you've been hiring for long, you've probably received information from references that helped you make better hiring decisions. The following tactics may help to minimize the effects of error and bias in the assessment process: Obtaining the unique perspectives of different occupational levels can provide a richer assessment for a given competency. Stick to the facts and ensure that you can support your statements. Employers have classic defences to defamation at their disposal and because of that, it is important to appreciate that defamation is very difficult to successfully prove. For example, if you've been dismissed or received a disciplinary, an . Of course, it also helps to attract top talent in the first place, and Monster can help with a free listing on its world-class job board. Your notes should be a record of what the referee said, as opposed to your inferences or judgements. Do not answer questions that ask you to numerically rate a former employee in any aspect of their work or work characteristics. There is a caveat here, however. Under the PSEA, informal discussion provides one mechanism through which internal applicants who are eliminated from consideration may obtain feedback. Any applicant would normally have access to any personal information gathered in the appointment process. There are several factors to consider when designing a probationary period for a new hire with an imperfect candidate reference check. Gain key insights into a candidate, understand and manage hiring risks. In a competitive marketplace, making the right hiring decisions is key to the success of your company. A simple pre-employment check package takes around a week. Is it a former supervisor or a human resources manager? Red flags are raised. It is good practice to contact at least two or three referees, preferably the following persons, in order of importance: 1. Do you have any questions before we begin?". If you do choose to hire someone with prior failings uncovered by the candidate reference check then the risks can be mitigated using a probationary period, which acts as a further employment screening stage. Reference checks are a great way to ensure a candidate is a good fit. Although legal challenges may arise from the reference checking process, they are usually the result of poor practices such as discussing prohibited topics. (Despite some managers' concerns about defamation cases, it is legal in the U.S. to give negative references as long as they're truthful--but that means you should stick to being objective and factual.). Therefore, at best, it is flawed communication. A crucial step in achieving a good hire is checking references. For instance, what is the purpose of the reference check? La Socit Qubcoise de Psychologie du Travail et des Organisations, L'Ordre des conseillers en ressources humaines et en relations industrielles, 1. However, unless the bad reference was a lie or a strongly negative opinion written in bad faith, then the employee will lose and have to pay the employers legal fees. The second question is whether the poor attendance record is as a result of the employee having a disability. This tendency involves the use of only the middle points on the rating scale, while avoiding the extreme points. 4.How will you apply your learning to ensure success in this role? So what should employers say during a reference check? If the defendant was reckless in making the statements, that will be sufficient. When you don't have much good to say about a former employee, what should you tell reference checkers? This is the general tendency to assess applicants consistently high (leniency effect) or low (stringency effect). The Guide is comprised of six key sections: A clear distinction should also be made between the use of reference checks as a tool for verifying and assessing applicant qualifications, which is the object of this Guide, and the procedures needed to obtain a reliability status or security clearance as part of the Conditions of Employment. Another popular reason that employees are dismissed is due to a poor attendance record. Remind the referee that the reference check is only one of several assessment tools that will be used to determine the most suitable applicant for the position. Employers are allowed to give a bad reference in Canada. This clarification will determine both the type of information to collect and the process that will be used to collect it. Similarly, differences in the overall ratings between levels may also be of interest. If the manager's reference is positive, however, you can agree to have the manager provide a verbal reference directly to an employer. Background checking also ensures that candidates are legally allowed to carry out certain roles, failed criminal and credit checks could prevent them from working with vulnerable people or in a financial function. 1. By emphasizing that "even the strongest applicants have improvement areas", referees are typically more comfortable providing statements in this area. The template is developed for the Assistant Deputy Minister level and will need to be tailored to the specific objectives of your reference check and the position and/or level for which it is designed. Updated on 03/01/21 Responding to a reference check request is a tricky business. Central tendency. Applicants should be able to discuss any information pertaining to their candidacy that would help them understand the decision to eliminate them. If you have been fired or terminated, check with your former employer and ask what information they will give out when they get a call to verify your work history.For background, it may be helpful to review questions commonly asked during reference checks.If your former employer does give out more information than the basics, it doesn't hurt to . Human Resource Selection. Employee rescreening to maintain a safe and happy workplace. Performing reference checks is a crucial part of any company's screening and hiring process. To that effect, the employer should conduct a reasonable investigation before stating some negative fact about someone in some correspondence to future employees. A sample set of instructions for applicants is provided in Appendix3. In addition to selecting applicants with a history of strong performance, reference checking helps hiring managers identify and exclude applicants with a history of counterproductive workplace behaviours. Should an applicant request feedback, consideration will need to be given to what information will be shared and how it will be given. If conducting the reference check is assigned to HR personnel or an external consultant, they should be very familiar with the reference checking tools and the target position. A written reference should be augmented by a conversation with the author. How to Handle Bad References From Employers Many industries have compliance-related employment check requirements. An essential first stage in the planning process is to clarify the purpose of the reference check. everything to know about job references - Ask a Manager Barada, P.W. The law is clear: If an employer wants to communicate negative comments about a past or present employee, it is free to do so. Co-workers can also be valuable sources of information if they have had the opportunity to observe the applicant over a sufficient period of time. For example . If the bad reference is clearly a lie, it might be worth it, but, if not, it could be a huge waste of time and money. In other words, a person who gives a reference does not have to prove their comments for a fact and they are entitled to hold a negative opinion, so long as their bad reference is not motivated by malice. If you mess with these contextual factors any employee has the ability to fail. It then follows that a candidates prior failing may be mainly related to circumstance, not lack of ability, but due diligence is required to see if this is the case. Can former supervisors/co-workers provide useful information about this qualification? You will hopefully be speaking to a person who can provide a snapshot of the job candidates contribution to a prior workplace. So, check with your attorney under any unusual circumstances in which you parted ways with an employee. The first is whether the health condition, which caused the absence, has been alleviated which means the candidate would be likely to have a good attendance record going forwards, making them a green flag potentially, with the probation protections mentioned above. Intrinsic evidence is the wording of the document itself. A structured reference check is a systematic evaluation of an applicant's past job performance, based on conversations with people who have worked with them. Manage employment background checks with ease. How would the applicant's developmental areas affect their performance in the target position? Accordingly, reference check questions should avoid these areas directly and indirectly. However, reference checks can also be done in the earlier stages of an appointment process. What should the Reference Checking Form include? The purpose of the Structured Reference Checking Guide is to provide an overview of a methodology for the development and administration of structured reference checks. On the other hand, the reference checker has not been in a position to observe the applicant in their previous position and would, therefore, base their ratings solely on the examples provided. Tell the referee that while they are responding to questions, you will be taking notes in order to ensure that their comments are consistent with the competency definitions. How to Deal with a Candidate with a Bad Reference | Crosschq Casual conversation can be particularly dangerous as it can easily stray into prohibited topics. In order to assess applicants fairly, assessors need to use a common rating scale and scoring procedure for each completed reference check. 1. Encourage the referee to be prepared to provide concrete examples of how the applicant has demonstrated the relevant behaviours. Below are a few general steps that hiring officials can take to enhance the legal defensibility of the reference check and obtain more useful information about the applicant: An effective reference check requires some planning and preparation by HR practitioners and managers before the first referee is contacted. In order to bypass the reluctance sometimes expressed by referees to report unfavourable information about an applicant, questions on developmental needs can be asked. In the context of a reference check, personal information includes the views or opinions of another individual about the person who is the object of the reference check. This book offers information on all aspects of reference checking, including reference checklists, sample interview questions and a phone script to guide you through reference calls. Take the Guesswork Out of Hiring. This review was conducted with respect to the Public Service Employment Act (PSEA) core values of merit and non-partisanship as well as the guiding values of fairness, transparency, access and representativeness. Even if the position sounds similar, you can't predict the coworkers, the employer's culture, their relationship with customers, or the myriad of factors that help an employee succeedor not. Stay focused on what is relevant to the discussion: the requirements of the position, the merit criteria, how you assessed the qualifications and why the person was eliminated. Personal information about others must not be disclosed. Consider deferring a contentious or heated discussion, to allow time to reflect and to address the issue at a later time and with assistance, if necessary. Automated and secure flows to stay informed and accelerate your time to hire. He or she sought increased responsibility and to round out their knowledge of our company and products, or. This information could include any factors that were taken into account, including the merit criteria used, how the assessment was carried out and the evaluation of that person. For instance, a reference check that is designed for verification purposes may only include an evaluation of responses to preliminary and verification questions to identify any discrepancies in the applicant's responses compared with those from other assessment methods. The following are some important questions for HR practitioners and managers to consider when deciding the type and number of qualifications to assess: Taken from the Statement of Merit Criteria, the chosen qualifications typically include such things as training, education and experience as well as job-relevant competencies, which can include knowledge, skills, abilities and other personal characteristics. Accordingly, the following information should be provided to the reference checker prior to the interview: In addition, the list of "Tips for the Reference Checker" provided in Appendix2 offers some suggestions for reference checkers to consider while conducting the interview. This article outlines a way to constructively and fairly process an applicant who has failed a candidate reference check, and make the right subsequent hiring decision. Here's a reference checklist template you can use to structure your reference checklist form: Dear [reference], [Applicant] has applied to work at [company] as a [job title] and listed you as a reference for [former job title/company]. If necessary, provide minimal information that describes the former employee's performance. Based on this information, provide a brief description of the duties and responsibilities of the target position before raising the points below.
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