Supervisors: If a person's reference comes back and there are no good or bad things said, only neutral?

Question

things, then do you go ahead and hire them?

Answer 1

If they seem capable of doing the job, don't have any negative reports, and there aren't any other more qualified applicants, then there is no reason not to hire. That doesn't mean you won't have to fire them in a month, but they should have to prove their lack of productivity, inability to work well with others, or whatever before they are let go. Being unremarkable doesn't automatically mean they are not a worthwhile employee.

Answer 2

Modern companies take care to insulate themselves from litigation. Both bad and good references can result in lawsuits under different situations. If a company gives a bad reference, a former employee could sue them for defamation, even if the facts of the reference were true. The employee would not prevail in their lawsuit, but no employer wants to deal with the legal system if they don't have to. If an employer gives a good reference, and the hiring company has a very bad experience with the employee, particularly if something like workplace violence or theft occurs, the new employer may sue the old employer for negligence.

The most common reference you will receive from a large professional company is little more than confirmation of the employee's hire date, termination date and sometimes an indication of their salary level.

One question you may be able to get them to answer which may be somewhat informative to you is to ask, "is the employee eligible for rehire?"

If the answer is yes, you can make a reasonable assumption that there is nothing objectionable about the employee. if the answer is no, you may choose to make a different assumption.

Answer 3

Then you go by credentials and experience and determine whether they have the skills and talent to accomplish the task you're hiring them for.

Answer 4

That all depends on what is said at the interview.

Each case is different.