The 20 Most Common Things That Come Up During Reference Checks (2024)

FAQs

The 20 Most Common Things That Come Up During Reference Checks? ›

Generally speaking, a background check for employment may show identity verification, employment verification, credit history, driver's history, criminal records, education confirmation, and more.

Generally speaking, a background check for employment may show identity verification, employment verification, credit history, driver's history, criminal records, education confirmation, and more.

Some of the questions employers ask your references might include if you were late or missed work often or if there were any issues with your performance or ability to work in a team. Employers might also ask about your salary, any promotions, disciplinary actions, and why you left the company.

Some examples of questions they might ask your references about your resume are: Can you confirm the start and end dates of the candidate's employment at your company? What were the candidate's job title and duties while working for your company? What level of education does the candidate have completed?

You shouldn't discuss personal details about an employee, which can include references to her race, religion, age or disability status. Also, you should never discuss ethnic origin, marital status, parenting responsibilities or sexual orientation during a reference request.

Don't ask about a candidate's sexuality, age, religion or similar matters. Anything related to personal health. Don't ask about a candidate's medical history or the existence of disabilities. You can ask whether the candidate is capable of performing the tasks that the job requires.

In general, an employer (current or former) is not prohibited by law from providing a bad reference in relation to an individual. If an employer is contacted for a reference, they may choose to stick to the bare minimum such as confirming that an individual did work for them and the dates they were employed.

A reference check typically means a hiring manager is near-ready to extend an offer to a candidate, and they want one final confirmation that you are the right fit for their team, Foss says.

Do employers usually check all references? ›

Do employers always check references? Essentially, yes. While it's true that not 100% of Human Resources (HR) departments will call your references during pre-employment screening, most do. If you're about to begin a job search, you should expect to have your references checked.

Most job seekers who are asked to provide references by a prospective employer tend to believe that their references should say only good things about them. That isn't necessarily true. In fact, what job seekers should ask their references to do is to give honest answers to any questions the prospective employer asks.

The answer is usually yes, as long as you're being truthful—but be aware of your rights and responsibilities under state law. Most states have enacted legislation that gives employers qualified immunity when providing information for references.

The standard questions you should expect potential employers to ask your references include: “Can you confirm the start and end dates of the candidate's employment at your company?” “What was the candidate's job title? Can you briefly explain some of their responsibilities in the role?”

Most employers will call your references only if you are the final candidate or one of the final two. Occasionally the final three or four. Every now and then an employer will check all the people they interview, although to me that's inconsiderate of the reference.

Reference list entries include the four elements of the author, date, title, and source.

‍Their Responses:“She was fired.” “She was let go – she didn't do her part as expected.” “He was let go… there was a conflict with the children – he didn't follow safety standards and guidelines.”

Can you say bad things in a reference? ›

It is commonly assumed that a previous employer must give a reference and is legally prohibited from giving a bad one. This is not the case. Your employer can give you a bad or unfavourable reference, but only if they genuinely believe it to be true and accurate and have reasonable grounds for that belief.

The reference has to be accurate. Your employer can't say anything that's not true. They also have to be fair when they decide what to put in the reference. For example, they can't say you were investigated for stealing if the investigation decided you hadn't done it.

The law has little reason to discourage employers from providing honest assessments of an employee's performance to a prospective new employer, regardless of whether this assessment is good or bad. However, crossing the line into making misrepresentations or outright lies could make a bad reference illegal.

What is a backdoor reference check? Backdoor or backchannel reference checks are references that are conducted without the candidate's explicit permission.

Speak to the Candidate

You might think that you shouldn't tell the candidate about a bad reference. While you should keep the source anonymous, it's worth asking for their side of the story. You can explain that there are concerns about an aspect of their application and former employment.

There are no federal laws restricting what an employer can or cannot say about a former employee. That being said, some employers are extremely cautious about what they do and don't say to minimize their liability in the event of a lawsuit.

If you are a victim of a hostile work environment or discrimination, federal and state laws may protect your right to file a grievance against your employer. If they choose to bad-mouth you as a result of your whistle blowing, they may be violating anti-retaliation laws.

There are no state or federal laws that prohibit an employer, a coworker, or anyone else from providing a poor reference for someone else. However, an employer may cross the line and face liability if he or she makes an untrue statement about an applicant's performance.

The reference check process for each individual takes on average three to 10 business days. If you're the top choice you'll typically hear from the employer within three to 10 days. If you're a second or third choice for the position it will take longer to hear back from the employer.

Conducting a reference check is often the final step a hiring manager or recruiter takes before presenting a job offer to a candidate. They may also conduct a background check and an employment history check, which we'll cover later on.

What comes after reference check? ›

If your experience goes well and you are selected as a potential candidate for the job, the next step is to offer you the job. Typically you only get a job offer after reference check, they need to confirm the experience and references you provided in you resume.

They use these references to help them decide between the last few candidates and ensure they hire the right person for the job. Employers could ask for references at any point in the hiring process.

Most recruiters and interviewers understand that job searches can be confidential and won't contact your current employer until they clear it with you first.

The reference check takes place after the interviews and before a job offer is given. After the interviews have been completed, it is customary to verify references. The prospective employer verifies the information provided by the candidate at this point in the interview process.

They are also not obligated to withhold such information. However, state laws vary on the level of detail that an employer can divulge. Generally, previous employers are allowed to disclose dates of employment, details of work performance along with the basic responsibilities and expectations that came with a role.

Reference checks can be inaccurate, biased or misleading; even if they're conducted correctly they often take longer than necessary to complete because they involve interviews with those who know the candidate well enough to provide valuable insights into their character, work ethic, skills and personality traits.

Reference questions have been categorized based on Katz's reference classification illustrated in his book, Introduction to Reference Work. In his work, Katz categorized reference queries into four categories: (a) directional, (b) ready reference, (c) specific-search questions, and (d) in-depth Research (Katz, 1982).

How many references does an employer usually want? A typical company will usually ask for three references, which a potential employee can have listed on their resume. The references they provide will be contacted by reference checkers who will ask about their employment history, qualifications, and work ethic.

Once you've identified the top two or three candidates through resume screenings and initial interviews, conduct the reference check before offering anyone the position. If the references confirm a candidate's skills, experience, and ability, then conduct a follow-up interview armed with that knowledge.

Typically, candidates provide three (3) references for the hiring manager (or HR specialist) to contact. If those references are not available, or if additional perspectives are desired, you can ask the candidate for additional references.

What if I can't provide 3 references? ›

If you don't have any references for a job application, you can still apply and secure your desired position. Without professional references, you can find alternative contacts who can give positive feedback about you to a potential employer.

Sometimes you will need to combine elements of more than one reference format. In general, a reference should contain four elements, which you can remember as the four W's: author name ("who"), date of publication ("when"), title of the work ("what"), and publication data ("where").

The first part is that the only questions a reference should ever answer are ones about job performance – and nothing else. The second part is a reference can say anything he or she wants to say – as long as it is (1) true or (2) an honestly held opinion.

Some examples of reference sources are: dictionaries, encyclopedias, bibliographies, almanacs, directories, atlases, and handbooks. These can be online or in print.

Professional references are people who know you on a professional basis. They may include contacts from business and sales, clubs, or professional or community organizations. Academic references are instructors and vocational counselors. They can speak about your academic activities.

APA style is the most common referencing style, but different schools, departments, and lecturers may have their own requirements. APA style is commonly used in Education, Business, and some Social Sciences and Humanities disciplines.

A known reference sample is a DNA sample obtained from a particular individual (i.e. buccal swab from a victim or suspect). Known reference samples should be collected as buccal swabs. A buccal swab is a swabbing of the inside of a person's cheek and gum area.

What do employers usually ask references? ›

The standard questions you should expect potential employers to ask your references include: “Can you confirm the start and end dates of the candidate's employment at your company?” “What was the candidate's job title? Can you briefly explain some of their responsibilities in the role?”

As long as it's fair and accurate, a reference can show that you're not suitable for a job. For example, a reference can show you do not have enough experience for a job or say that you were dismissed.

Remember this: When a hiring company makes a call to your references, it's almost always a good sign—so you can breathe easy. A reference check typically means a hiring manager is near-ready to extend an offer to a candidate, and they want one final confirmation that you are the right fit for their team, Foss says.

In fact, some sources say that candidates get rejected about 10 – 20% of the time after a reference check. Most often, a candidate will be rejected due to providing fake references that are discovered when they're vetted.

If your experience goes well and you are selected as a potential candidate for the job, the next step is to offer you the job. Typically you only get a job offer after reference check, they need to confirm the experience and references you provided in you resume.

The time it takes after reference checks for a job offer to come in should be around 1 to 2 weeks, depending on the position and the type of reference check. You nailed the last interview, and you're about to start the onboarding process, which typically starts with a reference check.

With a conditional job offer, an employer can withdraw a job offer if the conditions of the offer are not met. For example, if references show the applicant might not be able to do the job. If all the conditions have been met and the employer withdraws a conditional job offer, this could be a breach of contract.

As long as it's fair and accurate, a reference can show that you're not suitable for a job. For example, a reference can show you do not have enough experience for a job or say that you were dismissed.

Misleading information on resume: A company may check your references or confirm the dates of your employment with former companies. Any incorrect information could lead to a rescinded offer.

Most employers will call your references only if you are the final candidate or one of the final two. Occasionally the final three or four. Every now and then an employer will check all the people they interview, although to me that's inconsiderate of the reference.

Is the reference check the last step? ›

Conducting a reference check is often the final step a hiring manager or recruiter takes before presenting a job offer to a candidate. They may also conduct a background check and an employment history check, which we'll cover later on.

Generally firms will ask to check references once an offer letter is received and signed by the candidate. In the offer letter the firm will generally include language stating that their offer is contingent upon checking a candidate's references.

Before assuming you've had no news after a reference check give the process 10 business days (approximately 2 weeks after reference check). If you have not heard from the hiring manager after 10 business days, call the hiring manager to politely follow up.

If your reference is not responding, a prospective employer usually contacts you to let you know and asks you to double-check the contact details you provided. Then, if they still can't reach the reference, they may ask you for an alternative one.

If you aren't getting hired, they (in general) won't waste time checking references. That is usually the last thing done before extending a offer of employment. Why do employers ask for references if they don't check them? According to my HR guy, many companies don't check up on references unless there is a question.