WAC 162-12-130 Inquiries for Purposes of Discrimination Prohibited. It is an unfair practice to make any inquiry or keep any record of race, creed, color, national origin, sex, marital status, or disability, before, during or after employment, for the purposes of discrimination on these grounds, unless the particular quality inquired about is a bonafide occupational qualification.

EXECUTIVE ORDER 91-06 Prohibiting Discrimination and Establishing Affirmative Action and Work Place Diversity Policy. No state agency or institutions of higher education shall discriminate in employment solely on the basis of an individual's sexual orientation.

Reference Checks: Why do them?

Reference checking may be conducted with a candidate's work-related references as part of the search process. This process assists the department in gathering information which substantiates education and experience as well as other self-disclosed information, and provides a fuller picture of the candidate's ability to perform effectively in the position for which he/she is being considered. Supervisors may review personnel files of current employees in consultation with Human Resources.

When To Conduct Them

Telephone reference checks or a review of letters of reference may be conducted in the following manner:

• For the top/most competitive candidate, by the appointing authority/department head,
• For the top 2-3 candidates, by the appointing authority/department head,

Developing Appropriate Questions

Questions should be developed based upon two factors to ensure job-relatedness:

• Questions related to specific knowledge, skills and abilities that are required to perform in a specific position.
• Questions developed as a result of information about a candidate's professional background or credentials which are raised in the applicant's written materials and/or interview process.

What To Avoid

Questions used and information received, along with all other search-related information, should be considered strictly confidential.

As with any pre-employment inquiry, care should be taken in reference checking to develop job-related questions in advance, and to avoid the appearance of discrimination.

Click here to view sample reference check questions.