The small-town Ontario family doc was furious and humiliated. She thought the worst thing about her new receptionist was that her typing speed wasn't all she claimed. But now the police were telling her the woman had stolen a patient's wallet from her purse while the doc was giving her a Pap test!

The doc dug out the staffer's résumé and did what she should have done two months ago: check her references. Her former employers included two other doctors in neighbouring towns who admitted they'd also been duped. "Why didn't you call sooner?" they asked.

CHECK IT OUT
"Checking references is critical but it's a step a lot of businesses don't take," says Barbara Patterson, a human resources guru at Victoria-based HR firm WCG International. The process doesn't have to be painful, and can often save you a lot of hassles and even cover you in the case of an employment tribunal. Here are six simple steps to painless reference checking:

1. Know who to call Don't limit your calls to the references provided by the applicant. It's perfectly appropriate to call former employers, though not their current workplace. "Try to get a variety of opinions," suggests Ms Patterson. "Talk to a colleague, someone they supervised and someone who supervised them."

2. Trash reference letters "These are often given to someone who's been terminated. They're not worth the paper they're written on," says Ms Patterson adamantly.

3. Know what to ask Be really specific in your questions, asking the referee to describe the person's duties. "Ask them about the last performance review," suggests Ms Patterson. "You can even ask for a copy." Also, verify any credentials the candidate claims to have attained. Sadly, people do lie.

4. Know what you can ask Although you might be itching to ask if the applicant takes a lot of sick days or is about to start a family, anything that could be classed as a human rights issue should be avoided. On the other hand, asking about things like trustworthiness and teamwork is perfectly acceptable.

5. Take notes If, down the road, you need to fire the employee, having a record that you made the effort to check out their background will put you in good standing with a tribunal.

6. Listen to the silence Ms Patterson says one of the most important things you can do while checking references is zip it. "Silence tells you a lot," she says. Referees might not feel comfortable to say something bad about an ex-staffer — in fact many might be afraid of being sued. But what they don't say could be as telling. "The most critical question is 'Would you hire them again in that position?' If there's a big long silence, there's something there," warns Ms Patterson.

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