Making the Background Check More Valuable

• Include on the application form a statement for applicants to sign explicitly authorizing a background and credit check
• Telephone references tend to produce more candid assessments
• Persistence and attentiveness to possible red flags improve results
• Compare the application to the résumé
• Try to ask open-ended questions to get the references to talk more about the candidate.
• Ask the references supplied by the applicant to suggest other references.