As many young people haven't been employed before they may not have work related references to provide you with. Whilst work related is the best, it's still important to reference check other areas as well. Teachers or principal comments may be a good second option, followed by sporting, community or church groups, and lastly, family or friends.

Verbal reference checking is often more reliable than written references; after all, how many 'bad' written references have you seen?

Verbal reference checking should only be carried out with the prior consent of the applicant, ideally in writing as a signed statement on the application form.

If the applicant has been employed previously, ask them at the interview stage whether there is someone from their previous workplace who could be contacted as a referee - preferably their supervisor.

Remember to prepare written questions for the referee prior to phoning and ask brief, specific questions.

Remember to keep all referee comments - good or bad - confidential. People will be more likely to open up and be honest in their comments if they understand the information is to be kept confidential and won't be relayed to the applicant or others.

Most people make the job offer verbally over the telephone; followed by a letter of offer or contract of employment in the mail once the person accepts. The written offer should be in the prospective employees hands prior to their commencement and should be acknowledged prior to commencing in the job.

Written offers of employment are necessary as they formally offer the position to the applicant and clearly set out the conditions and benefits attached to the position and job offer.

Before you send the written offer you may first wish to phone the successful applicant and offer them the position verbally. Before doing this, make sure you have thought through and made a list of all the details you'll need to mention to them over the phone. This can then be followed up with the written offer.

You should provide two copies of the written letter of offer to the applicant, one for their own reference and a second, to be signed and returned to the business for inclusion on the employee record

• Job title
• Status of the position (full time, part time, casual, traineeship or apprenticeship)
• Commencement date
• Wage rates
• The Award, or agreement, that is applicable
• The hours and location of the job
• Leave entitlements
• Superannuation details
• Confidentiality agreement
• The probationary period and conditions
• Termination Conditions
  
  If parking is a problem you may also wish to advise where the best place to park is or provide other relevant details that may be helpful for when they arrive on day one.
  

Don't forget to contact the unsuccessful applicants to let know of your decision. A brief phone call or a standard letter is all that is needed. (see sample unsuccessful letter as a guide). It's recommended that you not go into specific reasons as to why the applicants was unsuccessful as this may backfire. The applicant may misinterpret or misunderstand your opinions of why they were not the best applicant.

It's often a good idea to wait until the successful applicant accepts the position before advising others that they were unsuccessful. If the first applicant turns the position down, you may wish to offer the position to one of the other applicants.

This site has some good information on developing Contracts of Employment, Letters of Offer and some sample documents which you can use as a guide.