A bad hire could cause significant damage to your business; from undermining your internal culture to placing more strain on your existing team, and reducing your organisation’s overall productivity and morale. For that reason, conducting solid reference checks is highly recommended to ensure your ‘perfect’ candidate is really a great fit for the position and your company. Here’s how you can use this last opportunity to uncover any potential red flags before any damage can be done.
Plan Your Questions
Checking a candidate’s reference is a fantastic time to reconfirm what you learned in the interview and help to shed light on areas of interest or concern. A great place to start would be to cover the job responsibilities on the candidate’s CV as these can often be misinterpreted. Then, you can ask the Manager the same questions you asked the applicant during the interview. For example, “How did Jane handle a particularly challenging scenario and what steps did she take to resolve it?” These types of questions will prompt the Manager to think about the candidate’s past behaviour. Their answers will give you another perspective on that person’s skills, behaviours and personalities.
Conduct at Least Two Verbal Reference Checks
With so much advice now freely available, anyone can create a great resume, and it’s even possible to become excellent at interviewing. That’s why conducting two great verbal reference checks can make a big difference. When a candidate appears great on paper and in an interview, two verbal references checks will give you two different perspectives. This will allow you to gain an informed understanding of how they will perform on the job based on previous behaviour and experiences. To go that step further in building a better understanding, pay close attention to what is not being said and the Manager’s tone of voice.
If you receive one ‘glowing’ reference and one mediocre, then it might be worthwhile doing a third (if possible) to iron out the details. Also, if you do receive a mediocre or negative reference, then be sure to check whether it was because of poor performance or cultural fit. Finding this out can help to re-evaluate the candidate to ensure they are indeed the ‘perfect fit’ in every aspect.
Technology has also been playing a role in changing reference checking. Some employers send a digital reference check for a Manager to fill in, however using this option eliminates the personal touch a phone call can provide and can reduce the detail you can gain on the candidate. That said, online references can be a huge help when there is a low hiring risk, such as low-level positions or high-volume recruitment.
Take Detailed Notes
Always take detailed notes during reference checks. The information you receive during these calls can be useful when you’re deciding between two or more great candidates for a single role; having detailed notes to refer to will help you make a better decision. Bear in mind that you should always be mindful of the notes you take during any part of the recruitment process, including the interview and reference checks. Candidates have a right to request any notes you have on them under the Official Information Act 1982.
Be Vigilant of Fake Referees
Just like CVs can be embellished, referees can be faked. When you’ve worked in recruitment for a long time, you would have seen, or heard, it all. From people using their friends, family members, and ex-colleagues to pose as their ‘Manager’. Whilst you shouldn’t approach every reference check with suspicion, make sure you’re vigilant. It’s a great practice to check out a candidate’s referee on LinkedIn first to ensure the information they have provided you checks out, and that they’re at the correct level (their Manager). Also, try avoiding calling a mobile number and instead try contacting the referee through a landline or reception desk. You can also ask to connect with them on LinkedIn and thank them for taking the time to talk to you. If they have no idea what you’re talking about, then you know you’ve potentially spoken to an imposter.
We hope this guide to conducting reference checks has been useful to you. However, if you need further advice on conducting reference checks or would like to know how a recruitment agency can handle this for you, get in touch with us today.
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