Image of tractor with visitors. Image by Edwin Remsberg
Checking References Provided by Candidates
A reference check is a process of verifying information about a candidate during the hiring process and is a great way to acquire additional information. By talking to previous employers, reference checks are helpful in 1) verifying facts and skill sets like employment history, job duties, job title and educational attainment; 2) discovering how the candidate interacts with others, solves problems, or takes direction and 3) learning about a candidate’s work ethic, performance, dependability, attitude and communication skills. This information might not be apparent during an interview or by reviewing a resume or cover letter.
Sources of references can come from a variety of places including conversations with current and previous managers/employers or co-workers and could include letters of recommendation, samples of work if applicable, verification of skill sets, and educational background. Checking out a person’s social media can also provide information. Reviewing this information will help you verify information and learn more about the candidate.
Considerations When Checking References
✓ Be sure to inform candidates that you check references and check the references yourself; don’t delegate this task to others on your team.
✓ Make the process easy by conducting the reference check via phone and assure the reference of confidentiality.
✓ Introduce yourself, your business and provide the name of the person who has applied for your job.
✓ Check the validity of the reference – you don’t want to get a fake report – verify the references title, name, what company they worked for while working with the candidate, what dates they worked together and if they were the candidate’s supervisor/co-worker.
✓ Start off with easy questions like verifying how the reference knows the candidate and for how long, verifying employment dates, job responsibilities/title and work history.
✓ Describe the open position you are hiring for and ask the reference if they think the candidate would be a fit for the role.
✓ Make sure and give the reference time to answer each question and do not lead them to easy answers, have them answer directly.
✓ Create a list of questions including open ended questions. Take notes so you can compare it with other candidates.
✓ Create a list of qualities/skills and have the reference rank the candidate on a scale of 1 (very positive) to 4 (very negative). Examples might include: dependability, timeliness, thoroughness in task completion, ability to get along with others, positive attitude, aptitude and ability to get along with co-workers, independent problem solving or judgement etc.
Action Steps/Questions to Consider
What are the important traits/skills needed by the candidate for the job role as well as working for your business that could be ranked on a 4 point scale?
Select the number of the following open ended questions that would work best for you:
1. What was your relationship with the candidate?
2. How long did you work with each other?
3. How would you rate their work?
4. What were their daily duties?
5. What were their main responsibilities?
6. Were they dependable? Did they get to work on time?
7. Did they complete the tasks and assignments given to them?
8. Did they take direction well?
9. How did they support coworkers?
10.Why did they leave your position?
11.What are their strong points?
12.What are their weak points? Or What qualities would need to be improved? 13.How did they get along with other people?
14.How was the candidate with respect to communication and listening skills? 15.Were there any behaviors that affected job performance?
16.Would you rehire? yes or no If no why not?
17.Did they require a lot of supervision or work well independently? 18.How did the candidate handle work-related stress?
19.Do you think the candidate can do the job we spoke about?
20.Would you like to add anything else?
What are my next steps?
Evaluation and Selection of Job Candidates
Significant time, money and energy go into the employee recruitment, interview and reference check process. Ideally, the recruitment and interview steps have yielded several candidates from which to choose. The process of evaluating the candidates should be given the same attention as other steps in the employment process. It is important to reflect on the candidates and take the time to make a good selection.
Considerations:
✓ Go back to the position description and review the necessary qualifications for the job. Make a chart with the necessary qualifications and characteristics on one axis and the potential candidates names on the other. Don’t forget to important characteristics like: dependability, positive attitude, aptitude and ability to get along with co-workers, quality of work, dedication/alignment with company goals, initiative/problem solving, safety, dependability/absenteeism, interpersonal relations/communication ability (written and orally), organization skills, faces issues, utilization of resources, judgement, growth and development/training, manages conflict, production, teamwork/assists, and/or job specific performance categories
✓ Make an assessment of how well each candidate meets the basic qualifications and rank them on this basis.
✓ Now rank the candidates in regard to the traits that you want to see in your team members.
✓ Sometimes we find extremely qualified individuals who lack the attitudinal skills needed in the farm workplace. Think through the tradeoffs between candidates who meet qualifications but lack the skills to work well with others along with dependability, a positive attitude and willingness to learn. What kind of training would this candidate need? Are you willing to spend the time and energy to do this training?
Once you have narrowed down your list of candidates, you may still be unsure about who to hire. Consider conducting a second interview with the candidate to clarify any reservations you might have. Think about including others on your team to be part of the review and/or interview process; their insights may help you finalize a decision.
Alternatively, you may have a limited number of candidates who are not quite the right fit for your job. Then it’s time to think about what kind of training you’ll need to provide, if you need to reassess the job description or if you need to continue your search for alternative candidates. There are always tradeoffs in terms of your time, effort and funds.
Action Steps/Questions to Consider
Create a table that lists qualifications on the left column and candidates across the top to be able to compare each candidate in an organized fashion?
What are the skills /qualifications that candidates must have to even be considered?
How would you train employees who may not have all the skills needed? What resources can you use to help in the training?
What are next steps in preparing to hire the right person for your job?
References
O’Rourke, M. (2023). Farm Employee Management: Evaluation and Selection of Job Candidates Iowa State University Extension Publication c1-75. Found: https://www.extension.iastate.edu/agdm/wholefarm/html/c1-75.html
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This material is based upon work supported by USDA/NIFA under Award Number 2021‐70027‐34693, and is funded by the NE Risk Management Education Center.