What’s going wrong with your Reference checks: Tips for HR professionals

Respecting a candidate’s credentials is important but doing an employee background check is equally important. It ensures the hiring process is authentic. A reference check provides an insight into the candidate’s work ethic and if he/she is right for the role.

Employee Crossings is a reliable organisation that collaborates with HR professionals to understand their hiring processes. If your selection is going wrong, we can provide tips for better employee background checks.

Bonus: We also give reference tips for HR professionals for the right outsourcing services to invest in.

Verifications matters

A candidate provides a resume with the relevant details. But this is just a snapshot of the actual persona. Accuracy of educational qualifications and work experience matter for some jobs. A hiring process should be transparent so that rejected candidates do not feel they are short-charged.

Knowing about past performance and achievements is a good indicator of a person’s ability to fill a position. Bringing an asset to the organisation comes with having the right verification process.

Often a candidate is fit on technical grounds for the role. But, he/she cannot fit into the company’s overall culture. It is likely to create problems in the future.

Who should investigate the candidate’s verification details? The probable people are:

• Hiring Managers
• HR Professionals
• Recruiters
• 3^rd Party Vendors

By following certain tips any of these people can conduct the checks.

Reference check strategies for HR

It is vital to prepare well and strategize well. You will need to do the following:

1. Take consent from the candidate for reference checks. They should let references know that someone will be contacting them and make suitable times for enquiries.
2. The candidate’s privacy should always be respected.
3. A list of questions should be ready, which include competency and job-aligned inquiries.
4. Ask about communication and other soft skills.
5. The questions should be objective and not investigative. It is important for the reference to provide correct answers, hence, open-ended questions will reveal details. 
6. References should not lead to any bias or wrong feedback.

Not all candidates require reference checks. It depends on the job type they apply for. If the number of candidates is high, outsourcing the verifications is productive. HR professionals can utilize these tips for better employee background checks with a partner organisation.

• Considering legal compliances for checking.
• Types of checks to be conducted.
• Turnaround time for the service.

All pre-employment screening depends on several factors. The service may differ from one company to another or from one state to another. To make sure you do not make any mistakes, take care of these factors.

• Do you need a background check?
• Are you looking at criminal records, hackers, or bad behaviours?    
• Credit reports or driving records.
• Usage of social media channels professionally and personally.
• History of work experience.
• Compensation history.

Employee Crossings is a full-service company that comprehends the importance of reference checks in hiring. You will be able to avoid the hassles of investigations and online checks. We provide detailed reports to give you a better hiring insight for the appropriate candidate.