August 28, 2008 | Read Time: 1 minute
Would your charity eagerly hire someone with a criminal history of embezzlement or bank fraud to a managerial position?
Gary Snyder, a nonprofit consultant, lists a half-dozen charities—including an affordable housing group and a Christian school—that unwittingly hired people with just such background blemishes. And most of the groups only found out after they, too, became victims of financial misconduct.
Writing on the blog maintained by the the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy, a watchdog group in Washington, Mr. Snyder stresses, is the importance of checking references.
For senior-level job candidates, he recommends contacting as many as five or six references. Getting the most from a conversation with a reference is an art, he writes.
“Drilling down below the surface of initial comments will make a reference truly useful,” Mr. Snyder says. “Listen not just to the overall comments a reference makes, but also to the specific word choices and the tone and enthusiasm.”
What are you experiences in checking references and exploring the backgrounds of would-be employees?
