Checking Candidate References

References enable hiring departments to validate a candidate's information against his or her resume and application and to obtain information about the candidate's prior work performance. Because the process of reference checking has many of the same legal perils as the interview process, it is essential to refer to and follow the relevant guidelines.

Hiring departments should obtain a minimum of two references for the final candidate if the individual is an external candidate. These references should be from the final candidate's current or most recent employer and the individual's second-to-last employer. Hiring departments should refer to the following guidelines for assistance in the reference checking process:

Obtaining Consent from the Candidate
Obtaining References
Checking References
Telephone Reference Check Form

References are not mandatory for internal candidates. However, hiring departments are encouraged to obtain a reference from the internal candidate's current supervisor after obtaining the internal candidate's consent.

Hiring departments should also refer to the Checking References section of the Division of Human Resources (DHR) website for guidance on checking references.