Office Manager: What questions should I ask when checking references?
Asked by Cassandra
I'm currently an office manager hiring a new receptionist for my dad's office. What questions should I ask when trying to check references for someone who apllied? What can or can't I ask when checking for references to make it sound as professional as possible? Thanks!

Best Answer:
Normally Companies refrain from answering questions regarding performance of their previous employees, the normal information they give, is the employees work start and separation date and the latest position held. If you want to ask them about their previous employee's performance, the safest question would be, "Are you willing to rehire this employee if he/she re-applied to your company?" If they say, yes, this means that the applicant is a good performer. If they say, he is not qualified for rehire, it means he is not a good performer. I hope I was able to help you. My source? Oh, I've been an HR practitioner for 25 years. Alecs

1. Have you ever seen this person act inappropriately 2. Has this person been punctual/ habitually late 3. Has this person ever acted violently or threatened another 4. Had this person ever been disciplined 5. Would you recommend this person for hire?
Answered by david fenton

Regarding the previous answerer the first four most companies won't answer for the fear of lawsuits. Most companies generally will only verify that the person worked there at this position of x amount of time.
Answered by Dietcokelover