Make it a must to avoid these mistakes and you will win!

1. Simply Not Checking
You would be surprised at how many employers don’t check references at all. After a resume screening and interview, employers may feel they’ve already obtained all they need to know about a candidate for employment. But, there’s much more to a person than the words on his or her resume. The truth is, employers don’t really know the person they are considering for hire. And their references most likely do. It’s important to always check a person’s references to avoid any potential trouble or harm to the company.

2. No Consistency
In this case, the employer is checking references, just not all the time. This lack of consistency is not good for the employer or the candidates for employment. Why should one person’s references get checked and another person’s references do not? This results in a non-thorough hiring process, which reflects badly on the employer. References should be checked for all candidates for employment Period.

3. Weighing the Job Offer on a Reference Check
References should be checked when the job has been narrowed down to a handful of candidates. You don’t want to check references too early in the hiring process, where certain candidates may not even be right for the job. But, you also don’t want to check references too late into the process. As an employer, you don’t want to put yourself in a bad position where the job offer is relying only on the result of a reference check. It’s unfair to the job candidate and also a waste of time for the employer. Instead, conduct a reference check after a resume screening and in between the initial and follow-up interview.

4. Requiring References That Are Too General
Let’s get real. As an employer, would you rather receive a reference from a job candidate’s co-worker who has worked daily with the candidate for the past five years, or a reference from the florist down the street? “She has lovely taste in selecting roses for a dinner centerpiece” probably isn’t exactly what you’d like to hear when it comes to checking out a potential job candidate. You’d be much better off requiring from the candidate specific references from a past supervisor, co-worker, and a subordinate. That way, you’ll receive a good mix of references that will actually be helpful in choosing the right person for the job.

5. Not Asking Follow-Up Questions from References
When you actually talk to the job candidate’s references, you want to ask open-ended questions that will leave room for discussion. Simply asking questions with “yes” and “no” answers won’t tell you much about the candidate at hand. For example, instead of asking the reference if the candidate was a good worker, ask the reference to explain what made him a good worker. This will help you determine much more about the job candidate and will surely benefit both sides of the hiring process.

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