1. Don't delay. Start checking references as soon as the applicant has given you permission to do it. The longer you hesitate, the greater the risk of losing the applicant.
    
2. Put little value on written references handed directly to you by the applicant. The written references some applicants carry with them into an interview are suspect for a couple of reasons. For one thing, letters from former employers are often written on the day of termination and may consequently have been written out of guilt. Sometimes such letters are written by the applicants themselves.
    
3. Ask permission to call most former employers. The most recent employers may not have bad things to say about an applicant, but this isn't to say that previous employers haven't had problems you'd like to hear about. All the more reason for calling as many of the applicant's former employers as possible.
    
4. Get references by phone, not by mail. For two big reasons: (1) people tend to be reluctant about putting down negative remarks on paper, and (2) when you're talking to somebody directly, you're in a better position to judge the sincerity and the enthusiasm of the reference.
    
5. When filling a key position, make a personal visit to the person giving the reference if possible. It's worth the time. People are usually more candid in a face-to-face situation than they might be over the phone or on a letter.
    
6. If you are unable to obtain references from the individuals an applicant has suggested, it is perfectly acceptable to ask if they have other references they might suggest you contact.

Your best references are previous employers, especially the applicant's immediate supervisors. They can tell you what you want to know.

Never contact a company for which the applicant is still working unless the applicant has given specific permission. To do so would jeopardize the applicant's job and is inexcusable.
During your inquiry, include the following questions:

• "Specifically, what type of work did he or she do?"
• "How did the applicant get along with his or her supervisor, peers, and subordinates?"
• "What was the employee’s absentee record?”
• "Did the applicant accept direction well?"
• "Why did the applicant leave?"
• "If you had an opening and company policy would permit it, would you rehire the applicant? If not, why not?"

Listen to how the answers are given. This often conveys a lot of feelings and attitudes.

Develop a reference guide and use it for each reference.

Reporting the Results

At the end of the interview process, the interviewer should be able to write a one-page (double spaced) summary of the candidate's characteristics and suitability for the job. This summary should include an assessment based on all pertinent characteristics used in the evaluation process. It should also include a prediction of the candidate's success in the job should he or she be chosen as the successful applicant. The hiring decision is extremely important. If you aren’t making the decision, the manager who must make it should be supplied with all the facts he or she needs.