Best Practices and Strategies for Conducting Reference Checks and Pre-Employment Screening

Dear All,

Please help me with reference checks. When should we conduct the reference check of a new joiner? After issuing a Letter of Intent or after their joining? In our organization, we perform this check after the joining.

Looking forward to your thoughts.

Hi Meenakshi,

Greetings!

Reference checks can be done once the candidate accepts the offer and shares their willingness to join. As an additional measure, you can inform them over the phone or in person that the reference check will be conducted before they join your organization.

Thanks and Regards,
Venkat

Dear Meenakshi,

It is in the best interest of the company to conduct a reference check before the candidate joins. A reference check is always a pre-joining formality. While many companies do conduct these checks post-joining, the entire purpose of such an activity is defeated.

Regards,
Imran.

Hi Venkat,

It means to be on the safer side, it should be done before he joins us. But when we'll do the reference check from his employer, will that person give positive or correct feedback.

Please suggest.

Hi Meenakshi,

We conduct recruitment drives in bulk. Therefore, the best option here is to outsource. After shortlisting a candidate, we provide his/her main details, i.e., two previous employer references and education certificates. These are verified for our regular employees. The second set of employees have to undergo a criminal check, and therefore, there is a need for a complete background verification. After all these checks are passed, an offer is issued to the candidate.

In case you doubt the feedback, you are free to get in touch with a higher authority or the HR person from the candidate's previous employment to conduct verification. This procedure is not illegal. Furthermore, outsourced companies offer this as a value add.

Regards,
Imran

Hi,

I don't know why organizations follow the procedure of reference checks after giving the offer letter. Imagine all the wastage of time and money when, after finishing all the procedures, you find out that the candidate is fake. I have seen different trends among companies - some conduct reference checks before the HR round, some do it after deciding on the candidates to be shortlisted, i.e., before issuing the offer letter, and some conduct it at a later stage.

However, prevention is better than cure. The procedure I follow in my company is that although employees provide their reference numbers, I rarely use them. Instead, I try to obtain the contact details of the candidate's previous company on my own. I randomly call to inquire about the candidate because the phone number they provide is likely prearranged. Therefore, to avoid any potential biases, I use numbers obtained from the company website or directory. This method ensures a foolproof check. Previously, in our company, we had outsourced this task to agencies that conducted thorough background and professional checks.

So, it's your call now!