116 Chapter Three Staffing Your IT Team There are two types of references to check: background checks and professional references. Background Checks This is the validation of the accuracy of what the candidate says on the application or ´ ´ re sume . This usually includes contacting schools to see if the person did attend and received the degrees and certificates he claims. This is also for confirming his past employment to see if he did indeed work at the companies he claims for the time frames he claims. The background check may also include a review for any criminal record. Doing background checks can be tedious and time-consuming, and many companies outsource it to firms experienced at doing it. Some organizations contacted for this infor- mation may first ask for authorization from the individual (such authorization is usually included in the fine print of many employment applications). Some organizations (par- ticularly former employers) may only give out limited information. They will typically confirm the dates of employment, but won't provide title, salary, or any comment (good or bad) about their performance. Professional References