When applying for any job, it is important to add personal references so that human resources can verify the information provided on resumes. One of the ways they do this is through reference checking email.
What is an email to check references?
These emails are sent by the hiring manager or a human resources employee. Their purpose is to communicate with the previous employers of a potential job candidate via email.
This is done to corroborate the candidate’s work history and get a statement about their work and behavior.
What do hiring managers usually ask in emails to check references?
Generally, they ask about the employee’s satisfactory performance areas, experience, and skills. Usually, this is done when hiring managers are about to decide on an employee to hire.
Candidate’s experience
The most important thing for them is to know what experience the candidate has acquired in their previous position. This is done to get an idea of whether the candidate will be able to meet the expectations of the job.
Candidate’s behavior on the job
Not all the importance lies in experience, job performance, and interpersonal relationships.
Knowing if the candidate’s attitude is appropriate and if they are respectful is crucial. This could ultimately improve or affect the work environment and thus contribute positively to the team.
Job performance
Knowing the candidate’s performance in their previous job is also of utmost importance for managers.
Knowing if they were on time with reports and on time for work, the ability to solve problems and work under pressure, among other things related to the job.
Candidate skills
In addition, it is important to know the candidate’s skills, so they often ask about these. This will help them know if they can perform the job tasks efficiently.
How do recruiters write emails to check references?
They usually follow a series of steps to carry out the emails to check references. Mainly:
They ask for contact information
If the candidate did not include all the information related to the reference list in the resume, they will ask the candidate to send it. This list should contain the email addresses of each reference, the relationship they had, the name of the company, and the position they held.
They usually write a draft of the email
To ensure that the email body includes all the information they want about the candidate, they usually write a draft with questions about the candidate.
Since there are templates or general email models to check references, sometimes it is good to be guided by them, keeping in mind it’s likely they’ll add some specific questions about the candidate’s reference knowledge. It is also common for them to address it in a way that fits the job.
Send the email to check the references
Once it’s been verified that the email contains all the necessary information, it is sent to the recipient. It is important to ensure that the privacy of the reference and the candidate is maintained.
What would a general template for writing an email to check references look like?
Templates can vary from company to company and can be modified at the hiring manager’s discretion. It’s good to keep templates in mind, though they are often reviewed to ensure that the content is well-written and covers all the points that are relevant.
Once a response is received from the reference, the company should rely on the information provided and consider it when hiring the candidate. A common example of an email to check references would be: