Checking references in an appointment process (21-03)

A recent Federal Public Sector Labour Relations and Employment Board decision  made recommendations about the use of reference checks in appointment processes, questioning the validity of this method of assessing essential qualifications. The Public Service Commission of Canada would like to remind the human resources community that recommendations in decisions by this board are non-binding, and that departments and agencies are under no obligation to follow them.

Under the Public Service Employment Act, managers are delegated broad discretion to determine which method to use to assess a candidate’s qualifications, including reference checks.

References from a candidate’s current or former supervisors, peers, direct reports, clients and other colleagues can be an important source of information to determine if a person is qualified. As with any assessment method, reference checks:

• must focus on the qualifications for the position
• need to be conducted in a fair manner and in good faith
• are strengthened when used with other sources of information to increase the reliability and validity of results

Our website provides tools, including guidance on assessing for competence, to help hiring managers, human resources advisors and assessment board members. We will soon publish more guidance on flexibility in assessment, as well as an update to our guide to structured reference checks. Our Personnel Psychology Centre also offers a suite of standardized assessment tools, and a range of assessment resources and services. 

If you have any questions, we invite you to contact your staffing support advisor.

Michael Morin
A/Vice-President,
Policy and Communications Sector
Public Service Commission of Canada