Recruitment and Interview Guide
Section 3 - The Interview: Skills for Successful Hiring

Step 2: Evaluating the Candidate

During the evaluation stage the Selection Committee assesses the information it has gathered, draws conclusions, and makes its hiring recommendation or decision. The evaluation process consists of five main activities.

1. Rating and comparing candidates against selection criteria

All candidates should be rated using the same predetermined rating scheme. (See Section 3.1 Step 4) for information on rating schemes and a matrix you can use to facilitate the comparison of candidates against your selection criteria.

To make an optimal assessment of any candidate, you must be able to reduce all that you have heard to a clear, concise statement on each selection factor. You should perform this task immediately after the interview while the information is still fresh in your mind, and before you meet with other candidates who may inadvertently bias your evaluation. As soon as the interview is over, the committee members should take time to review their individual scores, comments, and notes. They should then decide, by consensus or by vote, on a single rating for the candidate.

When it is not possible to rate candidates immediately after the interview, the committee should decide upon a process for evaluation which facilitates individual and group assessment of the candidates in order to arrive at a single rating.

2. Preparing a written evaluation report

After all candidates have been interviewed, the Selection Committee's next task is to produce a written evaluation report that includes its hiring recommendation or decision.

A written evaluation is a summation of the assessment of all the candidates. It should provide a clear, single rationale that supports its ratings by showing the degree to which each candidate meets the selection criteria.

As the written record of the committee's collective decision, the evaluation report may serve as evidence before third-party review. It should be signed by all committee members or by the chair on the committee's behalf.

(Form to be developed.)

3. Checking references

Reference checking is the final screening process and is done to substantiate and validate information received throughout the recruitment and interview process. References should be checked after the interview process on the candidate(s) identified as the finalist(s). Normally, a tentative hiring decision is made prior to any reference check and the reference check is used to substantiate the hiring decision only, not to make a final decision between two or more candidates.

In order to obtain complete information on a candidate, it is useful to have a reference from a current or previous supervisor, a team member or colleague, and a third individual – either another previous supervisor or perhaps someone who reported to the candidate. A telephone reference check can be the most informative and should not be replaced by a letter of reference. A simple call could prevent a costly selection error.

Reference questions must be structured to obtain meaningful information. The selection criteria and core competencies are the focus for the questions to be asked and the onus on the hiring department is to ensure that the information requested and obtained will confirm the candidate’s skills and abilities. Human rights legislation applies to reference checking as well as to selection interviewing.

Ask the referee for specific examples of the candidate’s performance and behaviours. For example, if you are asking about a candidate’s written communication skills, ask the referee for a specific example of a time when the candidate prepared an effective written communication. Follow-up on situations described in the interview in order to confirm that the action described by the candidate in the situation given as an example was accurate. Use open-ended questions to gain as much information as possible.

It is possible that a candidate will be unwilling to provide you with references from his/her present employer. You do not want to place the candidate in jeopardy by contacting a current employer who may be unaware that the candidate is job searching. If a current reference is important, you will have to wait until the candidate has resigned or has given you permission to request it. You may make the offer of employment conditional upon a satisfactory reference. This is not an ideal situation because an offer of employment is legally binding; to revoke it you must explain how the reference influenced your decision, which places both you and the reference giver in a legally difficult position. You may also ask the candidate what they believe the referee would say and why.

A candidate may be reluctant to provide a reference from a current or key employer due to a personal conflict. In this situation, you may also ask the candidate what they believe the referee would say and why. An interviewer with strong reference checking skills would likely be able to ascertain where the real problem is in the conflict – with the candidate or the supervisor. Candidates, who refuse to give current references, whether positive or negative, should be approached with caution. Be certain to discuss these situations with your HR Advisor.

For positions where credentials are required, it may be necessary to confirm that candidates have the credentials they indicate. This may include confirming educational accomplishments, previous employment, and obtain copies of the licenses/certifications required. Exercise good judgment when deciding whether these confirmations are required.

The following are a few tips to guide and safeguard you in conducting reference checks.

• Make sure that the candidate knows that you will be conducting reference checks and has given his/her consent.
• Obtaining a telephone reference is essentially the same as conducting an interview. You proceed through the same beginning, middle, and end phases, relying on your voice, tone, and words to move you through them. At the beginning you build rapport, put the referee at ease, and create an environment for open conversation. During the middle phase you ask your planned questions, following the flow of conversation as a guide to sequencing. At the end you thank the referee for his/her time and help in providing you with valuable information that you will weigh in your hiring decision.
• Plan your reference questions and record both the questions you ask and the responses you receive. This documentation will serve as evidence should a candidate take legal action.
• Because referees often tend to say only good things about the candidate, you should be prepared to probe for clarification and more details.
• If you do receive unfavourable information about a candidate’s job performance, be sure to ask the referee if this information has been discussed with the candidate. A candidate is unfairly prejudiced by an unfavourable reference when the substandard performance has not been discussed with the candidate and no opportunity to show improvement in performance has been provided. You may not be able to consider this information in making your selection decision. Please contact your HR Advisor for further information.
• In preparing your questions, be sure that they are position-related. Review the committee's evaluation report and highlight any concerns it may have raised so that you remember to focus on those areas during the call.
• Be prepared to give a brief description of the position. This will help the referee relate what the candidate has done in the past to the responsibilities of your vacancy and perhaps provide you with an indicator of future performance.
• Reference checks with supervisors, peers, and subordinates (360 degree reference checks) are encouraged because they give you various perspectives on a candidate's performance.
• Complete at least three reference checks on the final candidate.
• Do not underestimate the importance of checking references, a common pitfall of hiring.

Below are some reference checking questions that you may want to use.

• "What is your relationship to Mr./Ms. S.?"
• "How long did s/he work for you?"
• "What were his/her main responsibilities?"
• "How would you rate his/her overall work performance, using a scale where I = poor, 2 =fair, 3 = average, 4 = very good, and 5 = excellent? Please provide an example to support your rating. "
• "What are his/her strengths? Weaknesses?"
• "This is what s/he will be doing at the U of S. What skills and abilities has s/he demonstrated while employed in your organization that would indicate that s/he would be able to perform this position competently?"
• "What reservations should I have about hiring Mr./Ms. S.?"
• "Does s/he work better in teams or independently?"
• "Give a situation in which s/he dealt with interpersonal conflicts and describe how s/he handled it."
• "Describe how well s/he handled multiple functions.”
• "How effective was s/he in making decisions? Please give an example.”
• "How does s/he respond to pressure?"
• "Why did s/he leave the organization?" "Would you rehire Mr./Ms. S.? Why? Why not?"

Sample Reference Check Form