Background Checks:

Background checks occur near the end of new hire processing, when a specific candidate is being chosen for a position. This is mostly a verification of the candidate.

Reference Checks

A reference check is simply contacting a prospective hire’s past employers or other references to verify what you’ve already concluded about an applicant you intend to hire. Reference checking is a final confirmation step in the hiring process. This may simply involve verifying that the person in question actually held the position listed on the résumé, and what his or her starting and ending salaries were. Sometimes further investigation is necessary, asking the reference if the job applicant displayed leadership qualities, worked well with others, made any significant contribution to the prior organization, etc. Lateness, absence, conflicts with other staff, and reaction to stress may also be discussed.