Considerable Benefits
Reference checking helps you, as an employer, to critically think how well you will manage the would-be employee’s transition into the organisation if all goes well. So, the whole reference checking process is critical to making a final decision on a potential employee. Referee checks questions, if you ask (and listen) carefully, you can obtain a considerable amount of information. But most hiring organisations underestimate this essential process. Well, it is quite detrimental.
As a prospective employer, reference checking helps you ensure that the person you pick will be positioned to succeed within your business or organisation. So you are not just looking for things that will rule out a potential candidate, but things that will help you also make trade-offs among prospective candidates. Through referee checks questions and information, you can appropriately develop a person to what you want them to be in your organisation or business.
Conversely, you can also equally eliminate someone as a potential candidate through reference checking, which can easily reveal incriminating information about a potential employee. That is why it important to create trust with your referees so as to avoid a would-be employer getting answers that might reveal much about you. But if you cannot control what an ex-employer will say about you, just coach your personal references so as to ensure their answers match yours.
Samples of Referee Checks Questions
Coaching references, however, can ruin your chances of getting hired particularly if you do not ensure that both of you (your referees and you) are on the same page. To let them in on which questions to expect, share referee checks questions that might get asked. Here are samples: When did he/she leave the company? Could you confirm starting and ending employment dates? When did he/she work for your company? Can you describe his/her job responsibilities?
What was her/his starting and ending salary? Why did (name) leave the company? What was her/his position at the time? Does the job title and job description match the position that (name) held? Could I briefly review (name's) resume? Was (name) promoted while with your company? Were there any issues you are aware of that impacted her/his job performance? Did (name) miss a lot of work? Was s/he frequently late?