It used to be the final line on all resumes. (Does that mean references would NOT be available if that line wasn't there?) Most candidates, regardless of their current work situation, have a general idea of the people they would like called as employment references. More and more candidates, if they have a LinkedIn account, are adding references to their LinkedIn page. On February 25,under the Blog topic Social Networking, I talked about never encountering a negative LinkedIn reference. The reasons are obvious.

Get a signed release form

We have all candidates that are going to be interviewed by our firm sign a Consent for Release form. The language is simple but important and includes the following:

• We may contact those persons whom you have identified to us as potential references. In addition, we may contact other friends, business associates or acquaintances.

The release goes on to assure that the candidate has read AND fully understands the release language. It then requires their signature.

Comprehensive reference checking

One of our Blog readers recommended this topic because of the many ethical nuances that exist in this area. A search firm wants the placement to move along quickly. There is also the guarantee - that if a candidate leaves their new employment (for virtually any reason) within a set period of time, the search has to be completed again.

We want the truth

Make sure your search firm is performing in the following areas - through up-front discussion with them before starting an assignment:

• Getting a signed release of liability from all presented candidates
• Verifying educational credentials (we still see a 10% to 15% falsification rate on degrees - even after the release is signed)
• Checking references - and making sure client-specific questions are addressed
• Going beyond what is provided (allowed through the release)

One word of caution here - there are only a few degrees of separation between people - especially in the twin cities community. Make sure to draw the line between comprehensive reference checking and potential (current) career damage because of checking. (A special thank you to Steven Snyder, Ph.D. of Snyder Leadership Group for his question/e-mail on this topic.)