The small-town Ontario family doc
was furious and humiliated. She thought the worst thing
about her new receptionist was that her typing speed
wasn't all she claimed. But now the police were telling
her the woman had stolen a patient's wallet from her
purse while the doc was giving her a Pap test!
The doc dug out the staffer's résumé
and did what she should have done two months ago: check
her references. Her former employers included two other
doctors in neighbouring towns who admitted they'd also
been duped. "Why didn't you call sooner?" they asked.
CHECK
IT OUT
"Checking references is critical but it's a step a lot
of businesses don't take," says Barbara Patterson, a
human resources guru at Victoria-based HR firm WCG International.
The process doesn't have to be painful, and can often
save you a lot of hassles and even cover you in the
case of an employment tribunal. Here are six simple
steps to painless reference checking:
1. Know who to call Don't
limit your calls to the references provided by the applicant.
It's perfectly appropriate to call former employers,
though not their current workplace. "Try to get a variety
of opinions," suggests Ms Patterson. "Talk to a colleague,
someone they supervised and someone who supervised them."
2. Trash reference letters
"These are often given to someone who's been terminated.
They're not worth the paper they're written on," says
Ms Patterson adamantly.
3. Know what to ask Be really
specific in your questions, asking the referee to describe
the person's duties. "Ask them about the last performance
review," suggests Ms Patterson. "You can even ask for
a copy." Also, verify any credentials the candidate
claims to have attained. Sadly, people do lie.
4. Know what you can ask
Although you might be itching to ask if the applicant
takes a lot of sick days or is about to start a family,
anything that could be classed as a human rights issue
should be avoided. On the other hand, asking about things
like trustworthiness and teamwork is perfectly acceptable.
5. Take notes If, down the
road, you need to fire the employee, having a record
that you made the effort to check out their background
will put you in good standing with a tribunal.
6. Listen to the silence
Ms Patterson says one of the most important things you
can do while checking references is zip it. "Silence
tells you a lot," she says. Referees might not feel
comfortable to say something bad about an ex-staffer
— in fact many might be afraid of being sued. But
what they don't say could be as telling. "The most critical
question is 'Would you hire them again in that position?'
If there's a big long silence, there's something there,"
warns Ms Patterson.
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