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Reference checklist

Run the same list for every candidate in a role. Consistency is what makes the answers comparable and the process defensible.

Before

1. Decide the question set for the role, once, before you meet anyone.Pick from the sets or write your own.
2. Tell the candidate you will be taking references, and get the names from them.Confirm each reference's relationship to the work.
3. If you are ordering a background report, complete disclosure and authorisation first.Standalone document. See disclosure.

During

1. Confirm who you are speaking to and in what capacity.
2. Say what the role is, briefly, so answers are calibrated to it.
3. Ask the open questions in order. Let silences run.
4. Do not follow up on protected information if it surfaces.See what you can't ask.
5. Ask the hire-again question last.

After

1. Write down what was said, not your impression of it.
2. Put any discrepancy to the candidate before you conclude anything.See verifying employment.
3. If a consumer report may cost them the job, run the two-step sequence.See adverse action.
4. Retain the notes and the paperwork the way you retain other hiring records.