What Do Reference Checks Really Reveal?

After what seems like an eternity, at last you’ve found the perfect candidate.  The whole interviewing team is on board.  Your hiring approval is granted and you’re about to make an offer.

It’s almost too good to be true.

Maybe it is.

That’s where reference checks come in.

Even if your company policy doesn’t require a reference check

• Do it anyway.
• Every time.
• The same way.
• With every candidate.
• With complete, documented results.

After all, would you rather find out your star candidate isn’t everything they seemed to be before or after you hire them?

Finding “dirt” on a candidate is only part of the reason reference checks are valuable. In reality you’re unlikely to be told an employee is “bad” in a reference check.  The primary purpose of the reference check is to validate a person’s skills and ability to do the job. Rather than focusing on issues, a reference check’s greatest value is in finding out more subtle and critical information, regarding prospective fit, such as

• How candidates handle work situations, challenges, problems
• What kind of management style they thrive under
• What kind of manager they are
• You can learn about someone’s sense of humor, creativity and so much more

Before hire, you’ll be far better off in the long run by focusing on actual fit as much as past performance, getting too wowed by a candidate’s interview prowess.  If yellow flags pop up in the reference check, you’re far more able to select a strong interviewed “runner up” or get approval to go through the selection process more than once before a candidate is hired, rather than after the wrong candidate was hired when a reference check could’ve caught a mis-fit pre-hire.

Still, reference checks are not without their risks, both for the prospective employer, as well as for the candidate.

How do you make reference checks not only trouble-free for both sides, but a powerfully insightful part of the hiring process?

Use this handy Dos and Don’ts Candidate Reference Check List….

Candidate Reference Check – Dos & Don’ts

1. Do check each candidate’s LinkedIn profile before compiling your final interview candidate list for discrepancies between their application, resume and LinkedIn profile, keeping in mind these guidelines to insure you’re not using social media illegally in your hiring process.
2. Do get candidates to formally give you written permission to check their references before doing so.  “Including this in your company’s job application is a useful technique for obtaining the authorization to conduct a background check and contact prior employers,” advises Labor Attorney Stacey E. Mark of Portland’s ATER WYNNE LLP.
3. Don’t pre-check candidate references on your own unless you’re serious about making an offer and are about to make it.   Why?
   1. If currently employed, it may jeopardize their current position.
   2. Unofficial information gathered through “backdoor” references from their current company unfairly taints a prospective candidate’s ability to express their capabilities for your opportunity
   3. Even if unemployed, you may burn out candidate’s references if they’re getting pinged too much.
   4. The reference checking process can and does send out the message that the candidate is looking for a new opportunity. Candidates may and often do get snatched up before the interview process is done.
4. Do call rather than write for references if possible.  It’s generally both faster and more insightful. Eliciting that info may require a pre-step…. “I recommend that clients not respond to a reference request unless it is in writing and on company letterhead, and to then verify the request is truly coming from a prospective employer,” shares Mark.  However, she also agrees “A telephone call is definitely preferable for eliciting a more complete response.”
5. Do set an appointment for the reference check.  Select a mutually convenient time when you can both conduct a confidential focused conversation without background noise or distractions and call at that time.
6. Do prepare a reference checklist (click here for the Dorigan & Associates’ Reference Checklist) before you make the appointed call and fill out the form completely.
7. Do establish rapport at the outset of the conversation to put yourself in the best possible position to get real and candid feedback.  If needed, remind the reference most states consider the information “qualifiedly privileged.” That means that the information is protected, and the employer who shares it is protected unless the information is given
   1. with known falsity
   2. in bad faith
   3. with reckless disregard for the truth
8. Do pay careful attention to what is said and is not said.
9. Don’t be afraid to ask appropriate, probing follow-up questions.
10. Don’t ask anything unless it is job-related and do not violate any anti-discrimination laws.
11. Do sum up at the end of the conversation and thank your references for their time.
12. Do check educational references for confirmation the specific degree specified was earned from the stated institution.  This can typically be done quickly by phone.

There you have it – you’re now empowered to make sure your next prospective superstar is just that!

What Do Reference Checks Really Reveal?

Connie Dorigan, Founder and Director of Recruiting, sees the food processing industry as the link between good living and good people. She’s the west coast’s most experienced and trusted food processing recruiter. She also provides Executive and Career Coaching and lots of free job search tools. Once you’ve connected with Connie, you’ll always be connected.

© 2018 Connie Dorigan. All rights reserved.

This is a general interest article and does not constitute specific or legal advice.