How to Check References Without Alarming Your Candidates

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The moment you begin hiring for a job, you’re going to get candidates applying from all over. Some may be in-house while others may be scattered around the country. It’s important you check references to rule out any unqualified candidates without alarming any potential candidates. If people feel as though they have to pass excessive checks, it can lead to negative employee culture.

Using an employment reference checking service can make it easier for you to conduct the checks without getting too personal in the process.

Tell Candidates You’ll Be Checking References

It’s important that you identify to all potential candidates that you will be checking references. This is done to ensure that you’re maintaining full transparency. No one wants to feel as though a potential employer is going behind their backs to obtain information about them.

The added benefit of identifying the reference check is that it will reduce the number of candidates. Those who feel as though they have something to hide are not going to apply to a company that is known to conduct reference checks.

By eliminating candidates that wouldn’t pass the check, it can make it easier for you to find a quality employee for your company.

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Ask For Candidates to Complete Online Questionnaires

Employment reference checks don’t have to cause candidates to break into a cold sweat. You should simply ask a series of questions to learn more about who they are. As they answer your questions, it gives you a chance to verify who they are.

However, it’s not just the candidates being questioned. It’s also former employers. A few open-ended questions about a candidate call tell you more about a person’s work ethic, their ability to do the job, and the areas where they need to improve.

Questionnaires for candidates and references are standard practice in today’s human resources arena. All you have to do is ask the questions in a way that demands honesty without sending candidates running in the other direction.

Use Reference Checks As a Way to Sort Candidates

Depending on the job that you’re hiring for, you may get hundreds if not thousands of candidates. Especially when you’re not working with a recruiter, it’s important to navigate through the candidates in the most effective way possible.

Pushing everyone through pre-employment screening can make it easier to weed out those who are not qualified. Once everyone has been screened, you can begin to work with those who meet the most of the requirements.

Phone interviews can be a time-consuming process to conduct reference checks on your candidates. However, you can use a professional checking system to do the work for you. It reduces your workload and places the best candidates in front of you.

Ensure You’re Hiring the Best Candidates

Candidates have to know that they’re going to be asked to stand out among the other candidates. You cannot accept anyone at their word. Unfortunately, some people will embellish their resumes as a way to stand out. That may help them get the job but it won’t help you get the quality employee that you need.

It’s okay to accept only the best. The best way to achieve that is by checking references thoroughly. If you have already vetted a candidate by conducting a phone interview, let them know that they’re in the running. Communicating with candidates you’re interested in ensures that they stick with you throughout the hiring process. Identify that there are a few more steps that you have to follow and, if everything checks out, you can discuss the job opportunity with them in greater detail.

Final Thoughts

In the end, you have to do everything you can to ensure candidates become quality employees. By using an employment reference checking service, it allows you to be thorough without being too invasive. It will tell you what you need to know so that you don’t open yourself to any potential problems or lawsuits.

There’s no need to scare candidates off because you’re not being honest from the very beginning. When you establish a greater level of transparency, it will prepare candidates to go through a comprehensive hiring process. While it may seem tedious, it can be the best way to get employees that will truly make a difference in your operations.