Are you getting the most out of a reference check?

For employers recruiting new staff, being sure you have selected the right person is a challenge.  In most cases all you have to go on is a CV, application letter and an hour or so of an interview, asking them questions.  Most of us practice to ‘perform’ our best at an interview, so it can be hard to know if the impression you have of someone during an interview process is the real them.  One way, and in my opinion a vital part of any recruitment process, is reference checking.  Referees can verify a candidate’s experience and abilities and give you greater confidence that ‘what you see is what you’ll get.’

The first thing to check is who the candidate has named as their referees. It is quite common not to list referees in an application, especially if the candidate is currently employed and their employer isn’t aware they are looking elsewhere.  If they haven’t prelisted any and you are impressed by them at the interview, feel free to ask them for referees.

A couple of red flags to keep an eye out for, if they don’t name a boss or colleague from their most recent employment, it may suggest that their departure wasn’t amicable.  It is ok for candidates not to want you to contact their current employer and put their position at risk but I would expect that they can name someone from the role before this one.  If they don’t list anyone they reported to previously, it could suggest they don’t work very well for others or have had a problem with authority.  If they have listed stakeholders or people who only know them personally, I would request they provide details of someone else from a recent workplace.  The only exception would of course be people with no work experience in which case personal references would be appropriate.

You really need to talk to people who have worked closely with the candidate for a reasonable period of time and who have had an opportunity to observe their work and how they relate to others in the workplace.  Try to speak to at least two people from different workplaces so you can check their impressions match up.

Make a list of questions you want to ask the referees based on the specific concerns you have following your interactions with the candidate to this point.  For example, if they turned up late for the interview and you are worried about their timeliness, ask the referees if they found that to be an issue. If you felt the candidate showed a lack of understanding about a specific aspect of the role then ask the referee what they think about that.  Referees will be honest but they generally wont offer directly negative comments.  The candidate has chosen them as a referee so is confident they have will good things to say but if you ask the right question, you might find out something the candidate would rather you didn’t.

You want the referee to confirm how well they know they candidate and for what length of time.  You want to make sure what the candidate has told you is true.

Ask questions specific to the role you are considering them for.  Verifying claims the candidate has made about their responsibilities and achievements is sensible.  You want to make sure they didn’t oversell their involvement or fabricate anything.

It is always worth asking about how they work with others. If this is a management role, make sure you speak to someone that has seen how they manage people, and if you are still not convinced asking to speak to a past employee may help you make up your mind.  , Asking a referee for their opinion on how the candidate would respond to certain situations or challenges your preferred candidate may encounter can give you a good insight into how they have dealt with adversities in the past.

Ensure you avoid inappropriate questions.  This is a professional process and the referees can only be expected to comment on the candidates in a professional capacity.  If there is something about their past, personal life or something that came up in other background checks you need to speak to the candidate about it directly and make sure they are comfortable with you clarifying with someone else.

Finishing off any reference check with a question like “is there anything else you think we need to know?” gives the referee an opportunity to add something they think you might be interested in and if they are aware of any shortcoming you have not brought up, they should drop them in here.

Remember the referees are doing you and the candidate a favour so try not to take up too much of their time and be respectful of their opinions.  Make sure to thank them for their time and views and hopefully they have been able to allay your concerns and you can go ahead and make an offer with a bit more certainty.

Otherwise, if it all seems too much, we can take away all the hassle on for you.  All you need to do it pick the candidate you think would be the best fit from the list we provide and we will do the rest.  Get in touch if you are looking to find a new team member and want some assistance.