The second step is to ask the candidate to come up with the names and contact information of at least three people who fit the foregoing descriptions and to give the prospective employer express permission to contact them.

Once the candidate has submitted his or her list of references, the burden then shifts back to the prospective employer to ask appropriate questions of each reference that are strictly limited to some aspect of overall job performance – and nothing else. Good reference questions are open-ended. For instance, if the prospective employer needs, let’s say, a hands-on manager – someone who will work alongside employees to insure that they’re functioning as a smooth running team, the wrong way to inquire about that particular skill would be to ask, “Would you say that so-and-so is a hands-on manager?” The reference will, obviously, respond in the affirmative because the question implies, rather clearly, what the employer needs. A much better way to ask that question would be like this: “How would you describe so-and-so’s management style?”  By phrasing the question in that manner, it would be next to impossible for the reference to guess what management style the employer needs.

The method we use is to start with very general questions to establish the credibility of the reference. Questions like, “How are you acquainted with the candidate?” Or “Approximately how long have you known the candidate?” Or “What was the nature of your association?  For example, did he work for you, or did you work together?” These types of questions establish the credibility, or lack thereof, of the reference at the very beginning of the conversation.

As the conversation unfolds, more specific questions can be asked.  Some examples include, “What do you think so-and-so’s main strengths were?” Or, “If you had to identify an area in which so-and-so needs improvement, what would you say?” And, finally, some of the most important questions are, “Why did so-and-so leave the company?” Or “Would you hire someone like so-and-so back again?” Finally, the most important question of all, “Could so-and-so have stayed with the company if he had wanted to?”

In a nutshell, the responsibility for identifying the types of references the employer should talk with is up to the prospective employer, not the job seeker. It is the candidate’s responsibility to provide the names of people who fit the employer’s needs. Then, it is the employer’s job to know what to ask!

As can be imagined, it took longer to explain to prospective clients the value of having an independent evaluation of a candidate’s overall job performance based on actual conversations with people who had known and had worked with the candidate.  Gradually the service caught on as more and more employers began to see the value in knowing more about a candidate for employment than simply that he or she had honestly filled out a job application or submitted a truthful resume.

Knowing what sort of management style the candidate utilized gave the prospective employer a fresh insight about how he or she would fit the employer’s needs.  Having a sense of strengths and weaknesses gave the prospective employer a huge advantage in evaluating the suitability of the candidate for the position to be filled.  Understanding what the candidate might need to continue his or her career development was another very useful insight the employer could use to help chart the candidate’s career path was extremely useful – especially when all this information, and more, came from references supplied by the candidate!

Over the years, Barada Associates has added all the background checking services that are available, because that’s what clients often want and a careful background check is vital to helping insure that the candidate actually is all he or she claims to be.  Careful reference checking, however, can tell the prospective employer if the candidate can actually do all he or she claims to be able to do!  There is a huge difference between the two!

As we begin a New Year, Barada Associates plans to emphasize reference checking as an essential part of the hiring process.  It is, after all, the foundation upon which the business was originally built.  We will continue to offer all the background services just as we always have, but you’ll be hearing more about the importance of the other half of our service offerings – real job performance-based reference checking.  It’s one thing to verify that a candidate actually worked for the ABC Company.  It’s quite another to gain insight on just how well former co-workers, superiors, and even subordinates believe that candidate performed on the job.  Reference checking: the real key to making the best hiring decisions in 2012!

On the other hand, if I were the owner of the day care center, I would feel it was my responsibility to do a background check on all my employees, to avoid the possibility of hiring someone who could pose a risk to the safety of the children in my charge.  But, obviously, there are plenty of day care centers that don’t check at all, and there are plenty of states that don’t require it!

If I were looking for a safe day care center for a child, I certainly wouldn’t pick one that couldn’t prove to me that a careful background check had been done on every employee – regardless of whether or not the state required it.

As the population ages, more and more people will be employed in some area of the healthcare field – from nurse’s aides, EMTs, LPNs, RNs, technicians, custodial people, to the most highly trained physicians and specialists in any of a variety of disciplines ranging from research to surgery. Healthcare, broadly defined, also extends to the employees of pharmaceutical companies and to the manufacturers of life-saving medical equipment of every sort.

It is impossible to imagine a more all-encompassing field in which background and reference checking could be more important. Every area of the healthcare field, from the home healthcare worker to the chemist in the laboratory should be carefully checked before any hiring decision is made – the risks involved in hiring someone who claims to be something he or she is not are just too great.

It hasn’t been all that long ago that a former army medic stole and duplicated the credentials of his brother, who was a doctor, and opened a medical office in another state and masqueraded as a physician for over three years before being caught. Can anyone imagine trusting their health to someone who had never darkened the door of a medical school?

At a more rudimentary level, particularly among extended care facilities and nursing homes, people are routinely hired as nurse’s aides who, unfortunately, turn out to be convicted felons, those addicted to drugs, or others who routinely abuse elderly patients. According to a March 2011 report released by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Office of Inspector General (OIG), Report OEI-07-09-00110, 92 percent of nursing facilities have employed at least one individual with one criminal conviction. This study reports 5 percent of nursing facility employees have at least one criminal conviction and nearly half of the nursing facilities have employed five or more people with a conviction.

“How can that happen?” one is bound to ask. To find the answer, one need only ask what most nursing homes are in business to do. Is it to provide outstanding care given by the most qualified people available or to operate at the lowest cost in order to turn a profit? The stories of abuse of patients in extended care facilities are disgraceful and, in most instances, avoidable if only a cursory background check had been done. Why aren’t they done? The cost of checking, although very low, cuts into the profitability of the facilities’ owners. Not unlike education, however, more and more states are requiring that some type of background check be done on all healthcare employees. Federal regulation prohibits Medicare and Medicaid nursing facilities from employing people found guilty of abusing, neglecting, or mistreating residents, according to the HHS OIG study, and it is stated by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) that nursing facilities must be thorough in their investigations of the past histories of prospective employees. The irony is, Federal law does not “require” that nursing facilities conduct State or Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) criminal background checks.

As with school children, people who are least able to do anything about it, the sick and the elderly, are a vulnerable segment of our population who deserve to be cared for by people who are, at least, all they claim to be. Frankly, it is difficult to imagine any healthcare institution without the integrity to do everything possible to insure that those in their care are at least safe from harm. Tragically, that’s not always the case in the pursuit of the almighty dollar.

One of the most significant trends we’re seeing emerge in background and reference checking is the increasing number of educational institutions – not only in primary and secondary schools, but also in higher education – who realize that protecting students is essential.

Nearly every week another story appears about a student being harmed by someone associated with a school.  While doing a careful background check won’t ensure that the abuse of students will end, it will screen out those people who have a history of inappropriate behavior.   Furthermore, when it’s all said and done, educational institutions have a moral and legal responsibility to protect their students, particularly in the elementary grades where students are the most vulnerable. 
 
We’re seeing more and more public and private schools requesting background checks on everybody who has any contact whatsoever with their students.  That includes not just teachers and administrators, but also custodial staff, volunteer coaches, parent volunteers, substitute teachers, bus drivers, and anyone else who has even limited contact with students. 
 
At one level, conducting a background check on all school employees, paid or volunteer, can be looked on as risk-mitigation and as a way to reduce the likelihood of negligent hiring litigation if the unthinkable should happen.  There is a long-standing legal principle that schools literally take the place of the parent while students are under the school’s supervision, and more and more states are requiring background checks as a matter of law.  But, at a more fundamental level, protecting students is something that schools simply ought to be doing – because it is the right thing to do. 
 
By any definition one cares to use, it makes far more sense to be safe than sorry when the welfare and safety of students is at stake.

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All too frequently in today’s society, the media blasts headlines about children being tricked into trusting a dangerous individual—often with tragic results. Even small schools managed by a full contingent of permanent staff struggle with this issue on a daily basis. So, imagine the challenge for a four-person human resources staff (two of which are part time) to ensure the safety of 35,000 children in an environment with 6,000 employees and 30,000 volunteers—spread over 39 counties.

That’s exactly what the Archdiocese of Indianapolis has been able to accomplish since 2005 with the help of Barada Associates. The Archdiocese, which performs some 4,000 background checks each year, “had a process that had worked well for 10 years,” notes Archdiocese of Indianapolis Human Resources Director Ed Isakson. Nevertheless, Isakson was confident they could find “a way to do that, even better.”

Effectiveness in Action.

According to Isakson, there was no “crisis or problem” that motivated him to seek Barada’s help. Rather, Isakson decided during routine effectiveness reviews that its partner lacked the technology and scope to fully meet the Archdiocese’ needs. “We were looking for a business partner that could do our checks as thoroughly as possible,” says Isakson. “We wanted an organization that had innovative and effective ways to improve the screening process.”

Isakson received a call from one of Barada’s former account executives, who introduced the firm to him. “The more I heard, the more I was impressed,” Isakson notes. “I heard the things I was looking for in terms of setting up a relationship.” The Archdiocese began working with Barada on criminal background checks—state and national sex offender registries at first, then more comprehensive national checks and rechecks on its people.

Custom Care.

As an entity dealing with 150 parishes or missions and 70 schools, the Archdiocese experienced substantial challenges in breaking down its billing. “We would get one bill from our previous partner and then have to break it down into parishes and schools,” says Isakson. “Our accounting department spent a great amount of time separating this.”

Barada, on the other hand, used automated and advanced technologies that enabled it to set up multiple accounts and generate individual bills. “Instead of one bill, they could send out 200,” says Isakson, “but still give me one consolidated statement.”

Barada also set up custom screening solutions for the Archdiocese’ 30,000 volunteers, focusing on those components appropriate to their roles and responsibilities. “We do different types of checks for different people,” says Isakson. “For example, for those with access to over $1,000 in funds, we do credit checks. We do international checks for people who have worked or ministered abroad.”

For the Archdiocese, Barada created a menu of services that Isakson describes as “very comprehensive but very user friendly.” The solution is Internet-based, enabling an authorized individual to go online and select the precise check they require. “This is cost effective because we aren’t paying for something we don’t need and it is targeted to that person, position or volunteer service,” Isakson says.

Mission Control.

Even with billing, screening requests and other services distributed to individual parishes, Isakson retains control over the screen results. No matter who requests a check, Isakson gets a copy. “I can review the results and work with the hiring managers if they are concerned,” Isakson says. “Using their expertise, Barada was able to provide a custom solution with centralized oversight but decentralized billing. Before we spent a lot of time on oversight but now we can be more strategic in our role.”

Other benefits Isakson notes include enhanced online offerings, faster turnaround time and an excellent reputation. Isakson also says Barada provides attractive pricing, which is crucial to a not-for-profit with limited resources. “I did reference checks on the reference checking firm,” says Isakson. “I called three or four organizations they partner with, who reported outstanding service, reliability, innovativeness and a proactive attitude toward meeting the needs of customers.”

“The staff at Barada have been very responsive,” he concludes. “They understand how their services can assist us and will suggest creative solutions that meet the needs of the Archdiocese. We have been impressed with everyone from the human element on down.”

Client: Indianapolis Archdiocese

The Archdiocese of Indianapolis serves a population of approximately 2.5 million (with a Catholic population of 232,000, as of the 2000 census). It operates and oversees 10 high schools, 60 elementary schools and more than 12,000 religious education students (pre-kindergarten through 12th grade).

The Services:

Barada handles all the Archdiocese background screens in a customized program that enables authorized staff to select a screening profile based on the person, position or volunteer service.

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For MainSource Financial Group, superior candidate screening is a cornerstone of its operation. The firm maintains a 13% employee turnover rate—7% lower than the industry average of 20%. Furthermore, as a publicly traded entity, the company is subject to intense scrutiny from federal examiners and regulators in all areas, including Human Resources (HR).

Nevertheless, when MainSource VP and Director of Human Resources Jennifer Bullard came to the firm in 2001, components of the employee screening process were outsourced to various service providers (credit checks were and continue to be handled in-house). The resulting product was “fragmented in terms of content as well as turnaround,” Bullard notes. In 2008, that outlook changed dramatically when Bullard turn to Barada Associates for what she calls an “objective, holistic standard of excellence” in looking at candidates.

The Shift to Excellence.

Prior to 2008, Bullard’s job did not involve selection of candidate screening providers. As soon as that area came within her purview, she turned to Barada for help streamlining and improving the screening process. Bullard had become acquainted with Barada and its competency more than decade earlier. “I felt very confident that I wasn’t going to find another provider that would exceed the standards of quality that exist at Barada,” she notes.

Barada offered full-service screening—not only criminal checks and drug screening but also background profiling including employment, education and reference verifications. Choosing them would enable Bullard to centralize with a single provider all aspects of employee screening previously handled by multiple providers.

Bullard had an additional goal in mind when she selected Barada, which was reducing bias to the lowest possible level.

“When screening is done internally, there is an orientation towards examining some specific or critical areas of interest in relation to the opening—what the screener considers to be essential criteria or skill set,” says Bullard.

With Barada, Bullard notes, “I can suggest to them to examine those pieces but they aren’t going to overlook the complete range of credentials important in a high-performing candidate. They are truly neutral and have no vested interest whatsoever in the candidates that are presented.”

Meaningful Impact.

According to Bullard, Barada’s value to MainSource extends far beyond comprehensive screening and encompasses valuable decision-making efforts that not only result in better hires but also enable Bullard to shift more of the workload away from the HR team. “When we send applications to Barada, we may or may not suggest to them which references to choose,” Bullard says. “They are very savvy at discerning whose perspective is best for us.”

In fact, Bullard’s confidence in Barada is so complete that she lets the firm work directly with field HR personnel and hiring managers. “They are able to interface from their remote location directly with Barada and Barada with them if they have questions or want to gain additional insight about candidates being profiled,” she says. “It covers our whole footprint in terms of Barada’s interface with our organization. Managers recognize that Barada is an expert at what they do.”

The holistic approach of Barada’s comprehensive service set provides MainSource with a “richer view of the candidates under consideration for employment,” Bullard notes. “It is not coming to us in fragmented format. It comes in a complete reporting package.” This is beneficial, not only during hiring, but as part of the firm’s due diligence requirements as a publicly traded firm. “The strength of the complete profiles Barada generates in personnel files demonstrates credibility comparable to nothing else,” she says.

“I have worked with all sorts of reference reporting services along the way and many offer very shallow, cursory points of information that lack substance,” Bullard concludes. “Barada is anything but that, and this is what sets them apart.”

“With their level of expertise, the holistic approach and the integrity of the data, they provide a genuine product that truly gives you a good handle on the candidate that you’re going to be bringing in the door. This results in lower turnover, enhances the level of confidence of hiring managers in the field and mitigates the risk from examination that we would have on the regulatory side.”

Client: MainSource Financial Group

MainSource Financial Group is a publicly traded financial services company ($2.9 billion in assets) specializing in retail and commercial banking, insurance and investments. The firm has 85 branch locations and 1000 employees across four states (Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky) and hires between 200-250 employees per year.

The Services:

Barada handles all of MainSource’s prescreen sets including criminal check, Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) when appropriate, pre-screen testing (Barada sends appropriate tests to the candidate to take online, at home), reference reporting, academic and employee verification, and pre-employment drug testing. MainSource also has a random drug screening program that it runs through Barada.

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With increasing frequency, colleges and universities are required to have students complete background screenings so they can meet contractual requirements between the academic institution and facilities such as hospitals, rehabilitation centers, other healthcare related businesses , K- 12 schools, etc. This process is necessary so students can perform community service, complete required off-campus coursework or gain required experience through internships. One such institution is the University of Evansville.

When the University of Evansville sought to consolidate screenings conducted by an array of departments under a single provider, Mark Logel, Director of Administrative Services and Risk Management, put the service out for competitive bid. The winning bidder, Barada Associates, not only now handles the University’s background screening services, but the partnership has resulted in a new service model that is changing the face of campus screenings.

A New Direction.

Barada initially came to the University of Evansville bidding process after a recommendation from a higher educational professional that works with many of Indiana’s private colleges and universities. During the evaluation process, the committee selected Barada as one of the two finalists. What happened next, no one would have expected.

As part of the final evaluation, Barada met with individuals from various departments including Nursing, Physical Therapy, Exercise and Sport Science and Education, that conducted screening processes (several years prior, the function was distributed rather than centralized at the school). Working with the group, Barada offered an idea never before tried at the University of Evansville—and possibly at any educational institution.

Rather than simply contract for an estimated 300 screenings, Barada proposed a multi-day screening “blitz,” coordinated among all applicable departments. Students needing toinitiate screenings would come to the designated campus computer lab with Internet-connected PCs and initiate the screenings. Such a plan would lower the cost of the screenings (which is borne by the students), making it feasible to screen more students (and later new employees) affordably.

Innovation in Action.

“Once Barada brought this idea to the table—an idea that no one had had before—we jumped on the process to make it a reality,” says Logel. The University announced to students that they could initiate their screens on campus rather than submitting them over the Internet at home. Barada and the school ran more than 400 students through the screening process in two days. The process continued until the University had conducted an estimated 500 plus varied screens.

“Even with some unexpected glitches, the ‘Blitz’ was a huge success from the students and faculty standpoint,” says Logel. “Prior to the ‘Blitz,’ a student would get an email message and login, and then they would take the screen.” With the old model, participation was not as timely and required more support.

Encouraging Quality and Teamwork.

According to Logel, an added benefit of the Barada solution is that it resonates with the outside entities to which students are assigned. “Prior to this coordinated effort, there was an issue of concern with the quality of screenings handled at the department level using varied companies,” he notes. “Now, the educational and healthcare facilities that allow students to complete clinical coursework or internships can be confident that the screenings are being done by a reputable company that will stand by the results if an issue comes up.”

Logel praises the customer service Barada offers, especially the work of Barada’s Director of Client Services Mardella Huskins and her staff, about whom Logel says, “Their work made a huge difference in a positive way. While we measure a vendor on how smooth things go out of the gate, it is even more important how the vendor responds and the timeframe required to resolve issues that come up, especially with a brand new process! That is the metric of a vendor.”

“To us, seeing it in action and seeing the Barada staff create something that didn’t exist and work through glitches really built our trust,” Logel continues. “We learned some things that we need to do internally to prepare the students and departments for next time. However, we have good people here willing to make that happen and in the end it benefits all of us.”

Client: University of Evansville

Established in 1854 and located in Southwestern Indiana, the University of Evansville has a rich history that spans more than 150 years. More than 2,717 students from 40 states and 50 countries experience a distinctive curriculum built on exposure to great ideas, timeless themes, significant questions and multiple perspectives.

The Services:

Barada offers student screenings through a once-yearly, University-wide blitz. Students that do not opt for the blitz can still take their screenings at home, over the Internet, prior to arrival on campus. All students are screened on a yearly basis. Barada also handles faculty, staff and administrative screenings as needed (Logel estimates 40-50 per year).

During the 30+ years we’ve been in business, we have encountered numerous reasons why it is never a good idea to base a job offer on nothing more than a job interview or even multiple interviews. Why? Well, to put it simply, there are people out there who have great interviewing skills but who have a history of poor job performance. The reverse is also true. There are people out there who simply don’t interview well who have great track records of solid job performance. The only way to tell the difference is by careful reference checking.

I recall one instance where the prospective employer was prepared to make a job offer to an individual who had been very impressive in a series of job interviews. “He knows all the answers to our questions. He presented himself well, and he seems to be technically competent. But, just to be safe, we thought we ought to have you check his references.”

During my conversation with the candidate’s first reference, I asked the question, “What do you think so-and-so’s main strength was.” There was a long pause. The reference then sighed and said, “Interviewing.”

“Really?” 

“Yeah, we interviewed the guy, and he knew all the answers to our questions. He presented himself well, and he seemed to be technically competent. It took us about six months to figure out that he could only do about a third of what he claimed he could. I wish now we’d had you check his references before we hired him.” Incidentally, all three of his references basically told the same story.

When I called the prospective employer, you could almost hear their chins drop over the phone. They were prepared to offer the candidate a salary in the six-figure range. If it had taken them six months to discover what the previous employer had found, it would have been a very expensive hiring mistake for them, indeed.

On the other hand, there have been candidates for employment who couldn’t say “boo to a goose” during a job interview who have performed extremely well over an extended period of time – they just don’t interview very well!

So, does it ever make sense to rely on the old “gut instinct” when it comes to making a hiring decision? Absolutely not…

While most people think of background and reference checking as essentially being limited to part of the hiring process, it is not uncommon for consumers to check out various types of service providers or for organizations to check the backgrounds of companies with whom they’re planning to do business or, for that matter, for landlords to carry out a background or court check on prospective renters. In each of the foregoing instances, it’s just good sense to make sure the companies, individuals, and organizations – just like prospective employees – are who they claim to be and don’t have a history of questionable services, products, or behavior.

In nearly every instance, a release or authorization is required to be signed either as a matter of law or just as a good business practice. The release/authorization gives the consumer, the business, or the landlord permission to contact references and conduct any appropriate background checks that may be necessary. And, in point of fact, most companies and individuals who hope to do business with you, or hope to rent from you, assuming they are who they claim to be and have a good reputation for doing what they say they will, are ordinarily happy to sign a release or authorization – and also to provide the names of other appropriate customers or landlords to make the background check easier!

On the other hand, one occasionally runs into a prospective renter or company unwilling to sign that authorization or release so that a check can be carried out. Sometimes those unwilling to sign act indignant or seem to be insulted that anyone would question their work, their products, or their previous landlords. The sense one gets is, “How dare you question my background or integrity!”

Well, when you think about who’s going to be paying the bill for the work done or the service provided or the product purchased, doing a little background checking is really a sensible thing to do – particularly when one considers how many fly-by-night operations there actually are. Furthermore, if the prospective renter or service provider or company trying to sell you a product is all they claim to be, why wouldn’t they be happy to have you check anything you wanted to check? Reputable companies and individuals ordinarily have nothing to hide. And even if an otherwise reputable company is insulted by the request, I would have doubts about doing business with people quite that snooty.

But the point is, whenever the sellers of goods and services, or prospective renters refuse to sign an authorization form or a release that will allow you to check their background, a red flag should go up and other vendors or renters sought. And if the decision is made to utilize their services, buy their products, or rent them an apartment anyway, extra care should definitely be used. The chances are great that there’s something in their past they don’t want you to know!