How to Respond to a Request for a Reference Check

How to Respond to a Request for a Reference CheckHow to Respond to a Request for a Reference CheckResponding to a reference check request is a tricky business. Fear of reprisal and lawsuits keep many employers from responding at all. These recommendations will help you respond reasonably to reference checking requests while protecting the legitimate interests of yur company and your current employees. Follow Your Companys Established Reference Check Policy First, many companies request that managers send written reference requests to Human Resources. If the managers reference is positive, however, you can agree to have the manager provide a verbal reference directly to an employer. Anything that is sent in a written format should come from Human Resources, or HR staff should review the response for consistency and protecting the best interests of the company. A common reference checking format asks you to provide this information about the former employee. Job title, and occasion ally, job responsibilities,Final salary,Dates of employment,Provides a checklist that asks the former employer to rank such characteristics as teamwork and dependability, andAsks whether the former employee is eligible for rehire by your organization. This paperwork is best left to Human Resources- at least, ask the HR staff to review any written response you may be thinking of sending. Do not answer questions that ask you to numerically rate a former employee in any aspect of their work or work characteristics. Numeric ratings are not comparable based on any shared meaning of the definition of the term, nor is the meaning of the numbers on a numeric scale defined on these forms. Therefore, at best, it is flawed communication. At worst, it may hurt the job prospects of your former employee. Ensure the Employee Has a Signed Authorization on File Secondly, check to ensure that the former employees signature, authorizing the reference check is on the paperwork sent by the requestin g company. Without the former employees signature granting permission, you should not provide any information about the employee. Occasionally, an exiting employee will leave a signed reference check permission form in their employment file. This will only occur if the employee has not found a new job- unusual for most employees who leave their current employment. Respond to a Reference Check Request With a Positive Reference If the manager can, with few reservations, recommend the former employee, in consultation with the HR staff, the manager may return the call to the inquiring employer. When responding to a phone call, the manager should make certain that the employees signature authorizing the reference check is on file with Human Resources before returning the phone call. When a former employee was a good employee and left your company on good terms (perhaps a spouse relocated and the distance was not commutable), you want to give the former employee assistance to find a n ew ort. Or, perhaps you have been used as a reference by an employee who reported to you at one time, although not most recently. If you have positive comments to make about the employee, you may respond to the potential employer with the positive comments you can contribute. Reference Check Questions You Dont Want to Touch Answer only the questions that you are comfortable answering if you receive a reference request phone call or document. A manager should only speak to the areas of the employees skills and experience about which he has direct knowledge. There are several questions a manager should not answer Example Question Predict whether your former employee will be successful in the position for which they are being considered. (Got a crystal ball, anyone?) You cant possibly answer this question. Even if the position sounds similar, you cant predict the coworkers, the employers culture, their relationship with customers or the myriad of factors that help an employee succe ed- or not. ExpandGood Answer When the employee worked for me, in her position with my company, she was a strong contributor whose work was appreciated. Example Question What were the employees weaknesses? ExpandGood Answer She had no weaknesses worth mentioning that affected her ability to perform her job capablywhen she worked for me. Example Question Why did the employee leave the position in which she reported to you? ExpandGood Answers She sought increased responsibility and to round out her knowledge of our company and products, orShe left our organization because of personal reasons that were important to her. These are the kinds of reference check questions a potential employer will ask if you return a reference checking phone call. Respond to a Reference Check Request Not Positive If the employee left your company under a cloud, whether the employee was a bad fit for their job, a non-contributing employee for other reasons, or unmanageable, refer the call or the form to Human Resources staff for a standard response. Sometimes there are unusual circumstances surrounding an employees leaving your company. Perhaps an employee was watching pornography on his computer- yes, he asked his HR Director to serve as one of his references. Another former employee may have threatened violence or committed a violent act while employed by your firm. While these former employees will rarely list your company as a reference, be prepared. These calls should be sent to HR staff for the standard response. There is a caveat here, however. Talk with your attorney before responding to any reference check about a potentially violent employee. If you fail to reveal violent behavior to a potential employer, and the former employee commits a violent act while in the employ of the new employer, your company can be liable for not revealing this information. So, check with your attorney under any unusual circumstances in which you parted ways with an employee. When a Former Employee Asks for a Generic Reference Letter Giving former employees a generic reference letteris not recommended. Once a document exists, it lives forever. Prospective employees have provided HR offices copies of letters that were 10 and 20 years out of date, sometimes barely legible from multiple photocopy sessions. After a certain period of time passes- you have no idea what kind of employee your former employee has become- unless he or she is the rare exception who stays in touch with you. And, you never know how the employee will use your letter or how your words will be interpreted by prospective employers. Adopt a policy that states that managers are never to give written, generic reference letters. Inform the former employee that your company will be happy to provide employment confirmation from Human Resources to specific employers who inquire directly. Final Thoughts on Responding to a Reference Check Request Few employees set a goal of failing at work. Yet, employee s do fail and companies and employees do part ways. Keep in mind when you are asked for a reference that every former employee deserves the opportunity to start over- no matter the terms on which they parted from your organization. Perhaps the former employee was ill-suited to the position he held at your company. Your company culture may have been a complete mismatch with the employees needs. The employee may have had a different vision for the requirements of his job from that of his boss. Maybe his personal life and marriage ?were unraveling during his tenure with your firm. You never know all of the details and reasons about why an employee fails or moves on. Its easy with the high performing employee that you regret losing to a better job, a family move, or a dream opportunity. Its harder with the marginal performer. Be honest or provide minimum information. Dont do crystal ball predictions of success nor provide numerical ratings and rankings for undefined terms. If necessary, provide the minimal information that describes the former employees performance. Whenever possible, give the employee a break and talk with the prospective employer. The Bottom Line Recent figures relating to reference checking indicated that employers are taking reference checking very seriously. As referenced on the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM) website, accessed 6-26-19, In a 2018 HR.com report sponsored by the National Association of Background Screeners (NABS), 95% of surveyed employers indicated that they use one or more types of employment background screening.Whenever possible, give your former employees a break- when you can do so in good conscience.

How Company Pride Can Make Your Team Happier at Work

How Company Pride Can Make Yur Team Happier at WorkHow Company Pride Can Make Your Team Happier at WorkIf youre a manager, you know only too well that some employees see work as a necessary evil. It pays the bills. And even if they dont hate work per se, given their druthers, theyd much rather stay at home than head to the office.It doesnt have to be that way.In fact, you can play a key role in helping your team feel a lot better about coming to work every day.Why should you care? If team members are completing their projects, what does it matter if theyre counting the hours until quitting time? It matters because theres strong evidencethat employees who are happy with their company and their work make the best employees.What makes employees happyThere are a lot of factors that make employees happy at workThe ability to make decisions on their ownThe opportunity to do creative workA good balance between work and the other aspects of their livesFeeling appreciated for the work they do Having a job that relates to their skills and preferencesAll of these elements are important. But the most critical element of all may be how your employees feel about the company itself. Are they proud of the company? Do they know what principles it stands for? Do they brag to their friends and family about the work the company does?Why pride mattersAccording to recent research by my company, Robert Half, pride in ones organization is the strongest driver of happiness for workers in both the United States and Canada. Pride topped the list for men, women and workers 35 and up. Overall, workers who feel proud of their organizations are three times more likely to be happy at work compared to those who dont.GET OUR WORKPLACE HAPPINESS REPORTHow to build employee prideYou can start instilling pride by reminding workers of why your particular geschftsleben is a great place to work. What do you stand for?Every company is a bit different. Does yours have a commitment to helping solve a par ticular problem or issue? To environmental stewardship? To giving back to the community? Does your firm help improve the lives of your customers in a significant way?Sometimes a company telegraphs its values and priorities through a mission statement thats shared with the public and employees. Nikes mission is to bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world. (And just so theres no misunderstanding, Nike adds, If you have a body, you are an athlete.) Coke seeks torefresh the world in mind, body and spirit. And Googles is no less than to organize the worlds information and make it universally accessible and useful.These feelings and ideals are what you want to instill in your team. And when communicating them, make it personal. Explain to employees that their individual contributions are what sustain and reinforce the companys values.What makes me proud of my companyPerhaps the easiest way to envision what Im talking about it to offer a personal example. I have great pride in my company, Robert Half, and Ill tell you why.As a staffing firm, we assist people in a key area of their lives finding employment. This gives them not only a source of financial security but also dignity. At the same time, we help businesses grow by providing them with the skilled people they need to succeed. Unquestionably, we enjoy thefinancial rewards of our hard work. But no price tag can be attached to the satisfaction we get from knowing our company helps people and organizations in these fundamental ways.We also have a set of LEAD Principles at Robert HalfLeadership by exampleEthics firstAn openness to new ideasDedication to excellenceThey are the values that define our company, and they are integrated into key programs and communication efforts. New employees hear about them from Day One forward. The LEAD Principles are even inscribed on the walls of our corporate headquartersKnowing that my work helps makes a difference in peoples lives and that my company has a set of values each employee adheres to is very gratifying.Robert Half also constantly reminds employees that we work for the best. My company is first in our industry on Fortune magazines list of Most Admired Companies. Weve appeared on the list each year since 1998. Forbes magazine named Robert Half No. 1 on its list of Americas Best Professional Recruiting Firms. We frequently appear on Best Place to Work lists. And each time the company receives one of these honors, its celebrated, and employees are told how they helped Robert Half attain these distinctions.Some say pride drives happiness. To me, its aformof happiness in and of itself.Give your team members every opportunity you can to take pride in the organization where they work. Help them become a proud family.Get more tips on how to build employee pride and increase your teams morale by subscribing to the Robert Half blog now

The Resourceful Job Hunt

The Resourceful Job Hunt The Resourceful Job Hunt The Resourceful Job HuntBy Carol MilanoTodd Spurgeon was showing interested parents and prospective students Virginia Techs Invents program, designed for engineering students. The mechanical and aerospace engineering major mentioned his self-made, hand-built open source design of a three-dimensional printer as the campus tour group passed it. I had modified the design to have more capabilities than the original with some improved components. One parent, a naval researcher who had previously taken additive manufacturing courses at Virginia Tech, recognized that I had been pretty quick to pick up the skills, Todd recalled.The parent knew of a Penn State prof landseeking summer interns and offered to recommend Todd. I sent some You Tube videos of what I had built and links to my current project, Todd recounted, They hired me, via e-mailHis job consisted of a paid 10-week 2013 summer internship in Penn States prestigious Applied Research Engineering Lab, I had a blast I got to do research and designs to keep the U.S. a world leader in manufacturing, Todd said.Todd was lucky, but he had also been planning carefully. Half my reason for building that printer, he confided, was to get more experience in this field. I want to use and apply knowledge, rather than just get a degree for the sake of getting a job. I have learned that people like it when students take a class, then apply it to what they can do, which makes it a very rewarding learning experience. Just one year after my first exposure to additive manufacturing, I was involved with it at Penn State, who is a leader in this area.As Todd realized early on sending resumes, answering job postings, and attending career fairs are basic job-hunting steps. Finding ways to stand out by making your skills and ideas noticeable is a better strategy.Todds colleague, Greg Jannaman (BS, 2009) did just that. In his fourth year at Virginia Tech, Greg joined the Blind Driver Chal lenge, to develop a miniature car that sightless teenagers could drive. He became team leader of the successful undertaking, but never expected it to lead to a job. National Instruments (NI) provided all the projects hardware and software. When two NI senior engineers visited, they were impressed enough with the nine mechanical engineering students work to provide additional equipment and technical assistance. The added support helped Greg appreciate NIs goal of assisting not only academic pursuits, but also finding projects involving innovative technology that could help improve everyday life. At Virginia Techs 2009 career fair, with hundreds of exhibitors, Greg targeted NI. Throughout the bewerberinterview process, he highlighted his Blind Car Challenge experience, particularly his leadership and teamwork, and demonstrated understanding of real-world engineering challenges. My big advantage was a passion for NIs mission and vision, plus familiarity with their products. I communica ted that I was not just passionate about the Blind Car Challenge, I wanted to bring this kind of project to other people, through other similar things we could do. He was hired.Resourceful Job-Hunt StrategiesResearch three to five companies exhibiting at an upcoming Career Fair. Practice describing skills and experiences that match each companys specific interests.Take on projects that highlight your enthusiasms and strongest assets. Let people know about them.Utilize your colleges resources, including mentor programs and alumni associations.Join local and national associations, including online groups, such as LinkedIn. Participate Share information about interesting articles or programs so people learn who you are and what is significant to you.Seek activities where youll meet people from different backgrounds, such as community service groups or campus programs. Remember, broadening your network broadens your opportunitiesNow a regional services and support manager for NI, based in Austin, Greg Jannaman is one of their Virginia Tech recruiters.What does he look for? When I see a student with a passion, doing everything they can to pursue it that puts them way up on the charts.