Tuesday, October 12, 2004
Pre Employment Screening - Checking References
Don Phin, President of the Employer Advisors Network, Inc., recently authored an article featured on the HR.com Website. Don contends that successful employment verification is a key part of the pre employment screening process. He goes on to point out some of the obstacles that human resource manager's face in trying to get a meaningful reference from previous employers. He bluntly (and correctly) states, "Although criminal background checks and credit reports have an important place in hiring, they don't protect you from hiring someone...(who)is simply a poor performer. Many firms provide only name, rank, and serial number on employee references, with no comments about qualifications or performance, to avoid being sued for defamation." Phin suggests that citing state laws and providing the former employer with a copy of the applicants release/consent authorization, can be helpful in soliciting a useful response.
At Inquest, we do hundreds of employment verifications per week, and we often run into the situation where previous employers are tight lipped about their former employees. In fact, many of mid-sized and large employers have outsourced the verifications function all together. They utilize The Work Number, or a similar service. This severely limits the information that is available to employers. However, we have found that being proactive with (not hassling) previous employers in a polite way can work wonders. Even with companies that are using The Work Number, Inquest is often able to get further information directly from the company's HR department. However, the information provided is typically barebones.
We have found that the best way to get meaningful information about previous job performance is to require your applicants to provide specific contacts that are willing to provide professional references. Ideally, you should call on these references yourself, because the true meaning of a reference can be lost when put on paper. For instance, the tonality of voice that a previous employer uses in describing the former employee's performance can speak volumes. Consequently, we strongly recommend that companies "Insource" this portion of the employee screening process. However, Inquest can certainly handle this function if your staff is too busy. So, the moral of the story is that in developing or optimizing your pre employment screening program, it is wise to take into account the limitations of the reference/verification process.
At Inquest, we do hundreds of employment verifications per week, and we often run into the situation where previous employers are tight lipped about their former employees. In fact, many of mid-sized and large employers have outsourced the verifications function all together. They utilize The Work Number, or a similar service. This severely limits the information that is available to employers. However, we have found that being proactive with (not hassling) previous employers in a polite way can work wonders. Even with companies that are using The Work Number, Inquest is often able to get further information directly from the company's HR department. However, the information provided is typically barebones.
We have found that the best way to get meaningful information about previous job performance is to require your applicants to provide specific contacts that are willing to provide professional references. Ideally, you should call on these references yourself, because the true meaning of a reference can be lost when put on paper. For instance, the tonality of voice that a previous employer uses in describing the former employee's performance can speak volumes. Consequently, we strongly recommend that companies "Insource" this portion of the employee screening process. However, Inquest can certainly handle this function if your staff is too busy. So, the moral of the story is that in developing or optimizing your pre employment screening program, it is wise to take into account the limitations of the reference/verification process.
