ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTION.

Oftentimes, when we check references, the only thing that former employers are willing to say is, "John was employed here from 2010-2014." They are not willing to say anything negative about the employee for fear of retribution. Explain some ways you would dig deeper to get the real truth out of former employers in order to get a better picture of whether or not an applicant would be a good fit for your organization.

AN EXAMPLE:

If all I received was a simple reference from a former employer, such as when they started and their last day, it would discourage me from hiring that employee. I would politely call or email the former employer, asking them how well they did their job in terms of productivity level. This will identify if this applicant will work hard enough to help increase company profit. I need applicants that perform at a high level that will add value to my company, rather than someone who will do the bare minimum, which will waste the company's money and decrease the productivity level for everyone because others will have to pick the slack in order to be on track to meet the company's goal. I would also want to know how they left, meaning did they notify the employer and put in a two notice or did they just quit without tell the employer. Furthermore, I personally would not want someone that quits without saying anything because it can add stress to the company as we try to quickly find someone to replace their position so more workload is not put onto others. Notifying the employer can give you an opportunity to express why you are leaving the company, and if it is their doing that made you quit, they can then learn from your experience to do better in the future.