A reference checking service helps you gain valuable insight into your candidate’s character and work experience through in-depth interviews.
Trust & Safety
\n \nDuring the screening and hiring process, employers conduct reference checks to obtain information about a candidate’s previous work experience, such as the candidate’s soft skills, character, general reputation, and personal characteristics, that an Employment Verification does not provide.
\n\n\n\nResults
\n \nA Professional Reference Check involves contacting a candidate’s former employer and/or supervisor to learn more about the candidate through a series of open-ended questions. A full written transcript of the interview is provided for the employer’s review. The reference check results help give you insight into the individual’s:
\n\n\n\nSearch Options
\n \nProfessional Reference Checks are generally conducted by the employer, recruiter, or hiring manager by calling professional or personal contacts provided by the candidate. This is a time-consuming process—hiring teams can spend hours chasing down references and conducting lengthy phone interviews.
With GoodHire, our team of experts helps reduce your workload by calling the specified reference. During the phone interview, our team asks a series of open-ended questions to get the detailed information and perspective you need to make an informed hiring decision.
\n \n \n\nResources
\n \nCompliance
\n \nEmployers using a Consumer Reporting Agency (CRA), like GoodHire, to run background checks to assess candidates during the hiring process have important responsibilities to ensure a fair and respectful process for the candidate, and to comply with various laws and regulations that govern employment screening.
\n \n \n\nDisclosure & Authorization
\n\n\n\nThe FCRA requires employers to inform the candidate that they intend to run a background check, and obtain the candidate’s permission to do so. For reference checks, also known as investigative consumer reports, an additional, special disclosure is required under the FCRA.
\nAdditional Certification Is Required
\n\n\n\nThe employer must provide certification that they have provided special disclosure language to the candidate regarding the investigative consumer report.
\nAdverse Action
\n\n\n\nIf the results of a background check, including the reference check, prompts a decision to deny employment, the FCRA requires employers to follow specific adverse action steps.
\nA professional reference check gives employers a uniquely human view into a candidate’s work history and performance. Professional references can provide context about the information in a candidate’s resume and round out a comprehensive pre-employment background check with a more holistic picture of a candidate’s work style and experience. Here’s more about what goes into a professional reference check, and how a professional reference checking service can ease time demands and deliver consistent, compliant results.
\n \n \n\nA professional reference check involves contacting former employers, supervisors, colleagues, or educators to gain additional perspectives on a candidate’s work history, skills, experience, and ability to work with others. A reference check adds a human dimension to the information you gather about a job candidate or volunteer, providing an opportunity to get real-life feedback on how a candidate performed on the job—and what it is like to work with them.
\n\n\n\nSome employers conduct their own reference checks, but contacting and interviewing references is often time-consuming. Partnering with a professional reference checking service, like GoodHire, can ease the administrative burden and help you get unbiased, detailed references that also support compliance with applicable laws.
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nProfessional reference check services for employers can clarify a candidate’s role and accomplishments at previous jobs. Results can vary widely, depending on your methodology, the questions you ask, and the responsiveness of the interviewee. For example, employers (or the reference checking service they partner with) may ask a range of questions to establish basic facts about the candidate’s job and learn more about their work experience.
\n\n\n\nHere are a few examples of open-ended questions that invite discussion:
\n\n\n\nThe line between a good reference and a bad one can be blurry at times, but there are a few circumstances that may require additional investigation. Though these red flags may not, by themselves, be a reason to avoid hiring a candidate, they could warrant further review by the hiring manager.
\n\n\n\nBecause reference check services for employers involve contacting multiple people, finding convenient scheduling times, and conducting live conversations, turnaround times for reference checks can range from a few days to a week or more. Interviews themselves may take 30 minutes to an hour.
\n\n\n\nEmployment reference check services can’t eliminate the human time element from this process, but it can help lift the burden from employers. GoodHire saves employers time by taking on the work of contacting and interviewing references. GoodHire’s built-in tools help the background check process run smoother—and faster—by supporting compliance measures like obtaining consent and keeping candidates updated on the status of their report from start to finish.
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nA professional reference checking service can conduct reference checks on an employer’s behalf. If you’re working with a consumer reporting agency (CRA) that provides professional reference checking services, the company you partner with will have their own process. Our team conducts one-on-one phone interviews with each of the candidate’s references.
\n\n\n\nHere’s how the process works:
\n\n\n\nReaching out to multiple references for multiple candidates can be time-consuming for employers who choose to handle professional reference checks on their own. Using a templated form that references can fill out and return by email helps to streamline the do-it-yourself process, though it may add days to the process and minimizes the interpersonal interaction between interviewers and references. Online reference checking services that rely on digital and social media sources may be fast, but may also be less personal or include unreliable information.
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nEmployers must comply with federal, state, and local guidelines during the background check process to ensure fairness for job candidates. A qualified screening provider can help support compliance, but employers should consider working with legal counsel to be aware of local laws and industry regulations that may impact your hiring process.
\n\n\n\nHere are a few legal considerations to keep in mind:
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThe Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has provided guidance for employers to avoid discriminatory practices when conducting pre-employment background checks. Checking references only for candidates of a particular race, gender, or age, for example, could be construed as discriminatory. Additionally, employers should be mindful of how they use any information that comes from a professional reference check. For instance, if you learn a candidate is impaired in a way that relates to the responsibilities of the job, you may want to offer them an opportunity to demonstrate their ability to do the job or consider if other accommodations can be made.
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nEmployers that work with a CRA, like GoodHire, to conduct professional reference checks must follow the requirements set forth in the federal FCRA. These requirements include providing written disclosure of your intent to conduct a background check (including reference checks) and obtaining written consent from the candidate before proceeding. If you decide not to hire a candidate based on information contained in a background report, you must also follow the adverse action process.
\n\n\n\nGoodHire supports FCRA compliance with automated workflows that help ensure candidates receive disclosure notices, sign (or e-sign) authorization forms, and can access copies of their reports and any adverse action notifications, if needed.
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nProfessional reference checks can give employers a unique perspective on real-life skills, experience, strengths, and personality—insight that can be difficult to glean from a resume or even an interview. Because checking references can be labor-intensive, working with a reference check service can give busy hiring managers the benefits of thorough, thoughtful reference checks without the time investment.
\n\n\n\nWorking with a professional reference checking company, like GoodHire, can lighten your workload, help ensure a compliant process, and deliver fast, consistent results. Professional reference checks are among the many pre-employment background screening services that GoodHire offers to help employers make informed hiring decisions. Get started today.
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThe resources provided here are for educational purposes only and do not constitute legal advice. We advise you to consult your own counsel if you have legal questions related to your specific practices and compliance with applicable laws.
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