Home › Verifying employment
Verifying employment
Confirming that someone held the job they say they held is a different task from asking how they did it, and it goes to a different place.
Where it actually gets confirmed
Employment verification is normally handled by HR or a payroll/verification service, not by the former manager. Many employers have a standing policy to confirm only dates of employment and job title, and to decline anything evaluative. That is a policy choice, not evasiveness.
What you can reasonably expect
| Item | Usually confirmable |
|---|---|
| Dates of employment | Yes |
| Job title | Yes |
| Full or part time | Often |
| Eligible for rehire | Sometimes, and it carries weight when given |
| Reason for leaving | Often declined |
| Compensation | Often declined, and restricted in several states |
| Performance | Usually declined by HR; this is what the reference call is for |
This is where the FCRA line moves. Calling HR yourself is
generally not a consumer report. Paying a service to verify history for you generally is — see
FCRA basics.
A workable order
- Ask the candidate for the employer's verification route.Most people know whether it is HR or a service.
- Confirm dates and title at that route.Facts first, from the system of record.
- Run the reference call separately, with the manager.Different question, different person.
- If the facts and the story disagree, ask the candidate before you conclude anything.Titles get inflated by companies as often as by candidates, and payroll dates can differ from start dates.
A discrepancy is a question, not a verdict. Contract-to-hire
conversions, acquisitions, internal transfers and maternity or medical leave all produce
mismatched dates for entirely ordinary reasons.