Hiring Resources

Use these resources when initiating and during the hiring process.

Questions? Contact Dawn Tanner, Director of Talent Acquisition, at dtanner@midmich.edu or by calling x504.

Use this guide to navigate the hiring process in NEOED.

Use this guide to understand the lawful and unlawful questions you can ask throughout the pre-employment process.

The rubrics below can help your hiring team evaluate individual or multiple candidates at once during the hiring process.

Follow the procedures below when checking references.

  • Use the approved Reference Check Forms linked below.
  • Every attempt should be made to complete reference checks by phone. Email may be used if repeated attempts by phone are unsuccessful.
    • If references are unresponsive, contact the candidate and ask them to provide a different reference, or ask the reference to respond.
  • Information you receive in the reference check should never be disclosed to the candidate.
  • Refrain from telling an applicant that the reason they are not being offered the position is a poor reference. The reference provided information in confidence and assumes information will remain confidential.
  • The completed reference check form (even if a person is not hired) must be returned to Human Resources and becomes part of the employee/applicant personnel file or vacancy file.
  • Carefully question the validity of comments made by former employers. It is not uncommon for employers to express negative feelings toward a good employee who resigned for a better position. Likewise, employees terminated for poor performance sometimes work out a deal with their former employers to ensure positive reference checks. Probe for objective statements regarding job performance.
  • Do not assume that a reported personality conflict is the applicant’s fault.
  • Having been fired does not necessarily mean a person is a bad risk. Get an explanation before jumping to conclusions.

Do’s and Don’ts

Do
  • Speak with the referral on the phone, if possible.
  • Set a positive tone.
  • Follow local, state, and federal laws.
  • Ask the same reference questions for all job applicants.
  • Notify the job applicant that you will be contacting the references.
  • Document who you talked with and the information provided.
  • Be upfront with the references about why you are contacting them.
  • Understand your state or local laws about salary history questions.
  • Speak with 1-2 references for students and 3 or more for full-time positions.
Don’t
  • Rush the call.
  • Ask leading questions.
  • Ask for protected class information.
  • Contact people without the candidate’s consent.
  • Assign reference checking to a hiring team member who doesn’t understand the role.

Use these forms to record reference checks. 

Use these checklists to ensure your new team member gets off to a great start at Mid.

Significant effort has been made to ensure this content meets accessibility guidelines. If you encounter a barrier you can report the barrier at midmich.edu/reportaccessibilitybarrier or contact Strategic Communications at (989) 386-6622 x579 or stratcomm@midmich.edu.

Last Reviewed: March 2024