Reference Checking: Everything You Need to Know About the Process

Everything you need to know about reference checking as a process

Reference Checking: Everything You Need to Know About the Process

“It’s more important to hire people with the right qualities than with specific experience.”

- J. Willard Marriott, American entrepreneur

Many employers use reference checking as part of the hiring process. We can all agree it’s a pretty standard occurrence. It’s basically when an employer contacts the job applicants, previous employers. This is usually done to get a better idea of who the candidate is, their past work experience and other factors to verify if they are suitable for the offered position. Having said that, despite its standard presence across the various industries, the very definition of a reference check has changed somewhat over the years.

The way people perceive it, approach it and handle it has morphed into something more inclusive. As with all things that change with the needs of the market and society around it, the reference checking process has become a refined tool, rather than just another box to check.

What is Included in a Reference Check?

So there are two basic levels to a reference check. It can either be a surface-level reference check or an in-depth one. With the former, it’s more an exercise to verify dates of employment, job titles, qualifications and other factual information. When you consider the latter, it’s more detailed as the name suggests.

Reference will face a line of questioning that is similar to that which the applicant faces. As mentioned before, this is more a traditional reference check, where employers try to get an idea about who the person behind the resume is. They dig into the applicants’ strengths, weaknesses, skills, teamwork abilities and so on, to see if they are a good fit for the job.

Canada has key reference checking laws in place
Canada has key laws and acts that regulate what information flows and how it flows during the reference checks.

Reference Checking Vs. Background Checks

If you’re wondering if the two are the same thing, the answer is kind of, but not really. The major differentiator, in this case, is their focus. Reference checks are meant for providing insights into the candidate’s ability as an employee while also doing the surface level verification. However, background checks are purely meant for credential verification purposes.

Another difference is that where a reference may only focus on the personal and professional reference you provide, a background check will go into your employment history, credit history, criminal records and so on.

Laws Regulating Reference Checking in Canada

Different countries have different privacy laws and regulations when it comes to background checks. However, when you take the case of Canada there are two specific laws that you need to make note of. One is the Privacy Act and the other is the PIPEDA (Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act) at the federal level. Keep in mind that there are also laws at the provincial level.

These laws are in place to regulate the organization’s right to receive information during reference checks. As per said laws, the candidates in question have to give written consent to have the reference checking conducted by the relevant employers.

Organizations also have to store the information from the reference checks they do, for at least a year. At the same time, candidates should have the opportunity to access their information. Apart from these federal laws, there are also Human Rights Legislation Acts in Canada that impact reference checking. The Canadian Human Rights Act as well as the Provincial and Territorial Human Rights Laws, prohibit employers from asking questions in certain areas during a reference check or interview.

These areas include race, ethnicity, religion, age, gender, marital status, family status, disability, genetics, criminal records. Asking questions about these topics could be discriminatory and the company could get in trouble. Fair to say, there are many do’s and don’ts when it comes to reference checks in Canada.

"You don't hire for skills, you hire for attitude. You can always teach skills."

- Simon Sinek, Author

The Right Way to Handle Reference Checks

All things considered, it would be a fair assumption to say that reference checking plays an important role in the hiring process. Given the weight it carries, it makes sense that there are so many laws that regulate it at so many levels. At the end of the day, it should be done right.

For one thing, consider doing the reference check at the beginning of the hiring process as opposed to the end. This will save everyone’s time by eliminating any doubt about whether the candidate in question is suitable for the recruitment process or not. Another thing you should keep in mind is the format. A common format is important given you will be checking in on candidates from different walks of life. So, to keep things unbiased, objective, and fair, you need to have a set number of common questions that you can apply across the board.

How Candidates Should Apply

The care a candidate puts into the application process, tells a lot about them. When they apply, ideally, they should provide proper references. They should give you at least three former co-workers and supervisors. However, if they are applying for their first job, like a fresh graduate, then the reference information for their college professors or lecturers can suit the purpose of the reference check.

Make sure that you ask for the applicant’s consent before conducting the check. You should try to get it in writing just to be safe. You also need to make sure that the references are willing to stand for the candidate. Take it a step further and advertise this when you make the vacancy public; it will smooth out the process a little more.

These days automated reference checking is becoming more and more popular due to its efficiency capabilities.

automated reference checking is becoming the new trend in the recruitment landscape

Preparation

Now as we mentioned before, most companies tend to wait till the end of the recruitment process to conduct the reference checks. The best method is to do it before the recruitment process gets started. This thins the crowd and you proceed with only the candidates who will suit your company culture and job profile.

Now onto the actual preparation. Before you start firing away 20 questions, call up the references and find out if they want to stand in as a reference for the applicant. Start with the senior-most reference and work your way down, it’s a professional courtesy. Inform them about the process, the candidate’s application (after getting the candidate’s consent), and get everyone on the same page.

They might agree to do the interview on the spot, or you might have to schedule them for a more convenient time later. The best way is via phone call or email, traditionally speaking, so get that confirmed as well.

Executing the Reference Checking

Finally, the day for the check arrives! You need to confirm that everyone is ready and available. Make sure to inform the reference about the time it might take. Be clear with the information you provide.

Finally, approach it like a conversation. The references are people after all; human beings. So get them relaxed, ease into the conversation, take it one question at a time and take plenty of notes. As good as traditional reference checks are, these days a lot of companies are employing the service of automated reference checking. This is a process that eliminates human bias, reduces time to hire and makes the whole process smoother. As an employer, you should consider this option.

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Doing a Reference Check: A Step-by-Step Walkthrough

Reference Check

Doing a Reference Check: A Step-by-Step Walkthrough

“It is wiser to find out than to suppose.”

- Mark Twain, American Writer

As an employer, there might be different facets to the hiring process that you might be responsible for. However, one of the most important objectives of all those activities is to find the best employees possible. A part of accomplishing that is research. You need to do a little homework on who they are, where they came from, the kind of work they do and so on. This is where a good old reference check comes in handy!

Many companies and employers alike use reference checking as a tool to dive into the work history of candidates to see if they fit the role. However, there is a lot more to it than just checking someone’s resume. If you know what to ask, who to ask and how to go about it, a reference check can work wonders for your end recruitment result. In this blog, we will cover a step-by-step reference check that will give you the best results possible. Before we dive into it, you need to remember these are only the core steps that we are going to cover. You might need to add or modify steps according to your specific needs or circumstances.

Reference Check Step #1: Verify the Candidate's Identity

The first item on the agenda when conducting a reference check process; verify that the candidate is who they claim to be. Yes, this may seem quite obvious in hindsight, but you never know if you will be able to weed out the dishonest candidates in the batch. 

When you are reaching out to the previous employer, make sure to ask very specific questions. Ask about the candidate’s name, title at the previous company, dates of employment and whatever else basic information you require. Think of this as the background verification part of the process to make sure that this candidate is qualified to undergo the recruitment process. You don’t want to waste all your company’s time and resources taking them through the recruitment steps, only to find out that they didn’t even work at the capacity they claimed in the first place.

Reference Check credibility
The words of the reference carry only as much weight as the credibility of the reference themselves.

Reference Check Step #2: Verify the Reference's Relationship with the Candidate

Typically speaking, one would have to deal with professional references. This is what candidates would usually provide. However, in today’s changing job market and cultural fit requirements, even personal references are sometimes taken into consideration. With this being the case, the scope for error and false information grows. It is up to you to verify who these references are. Ask them how they know the candidate in question.

Once you know their relationship to the candidate, you can easily cross-verify the authenticity of the reference provided. This adds value and weight to the information the reference provides concerning the candidate. All these factors make this an important junction in the reference check process.

Reference Check Step #3: Gauge the Candidate's Fit

Now onto the whole point of this reference check– to find out if the candidate is a good fit for the company. Use your time wisely, especially if you are talking with references over the phone. Not many will be inclined to talk to you, and even fewer might be inclined to give you all the answers you need. So, every question has to be geared towards finding out if the candidate is a good fit for your company.

Explain the scope of the job to the reference and ask if they think the candidate is a good fit for that role. If they give you vague answers or hesitate, then it may be an indicator that the candidate might not be the one you are looking for. Remember, silence speaks volumes in the face of an investigation.

"Research is to see what everybody else has seen, and to think what nobody else has thought."

- Albert Szent-Gyrogyi, Hungarian Biochemist

Reference Check Step #4: Ask the Reference to Rank the Candidate

No doubt you will have to have a variety of questions ready for the reference check conversation. Some questions may be more open-ended than others, but the essential idea is to get an understanding of the person behind the resume. Having said that, one of the best ways to get an idea is to ask the references to rank the candidate on a scale of 1 to 10.

Asking them to rank candidates this way forces them to think more deeply about the number as it will represent a lot of what they have to say about the person. Now don’t be fooled when someone ranks someone a 10 out of 10. No one is that perfect, nor can they be. If they rank them suspiciously high, ask some follow up questions as to why they would claim that number. The same applies if references rank candidates very low.

Reference Check Step #5: Find out about Strengths and Weaknesses

Here is where you cut straight to the chase. At this point, you want to point-blank ask for reference about the candidate’s strengths and weaknesses. At the end of the day, you need to know if this person will fit into the company dynamic. Being straightforward with this will give you clear cut answers that you can use to determine the final verdict. This is more about identifying growth opportunities than anything else, with the added benefit of knowing your possible future employee better.

A candidate's work character is just as important as their work history.

Reference check candidate personalities

Reference Check Step #6: Don't Overlook Behaviour

Here is where you cut straight to the chase. At this point, you want to point-blank ask for reference about the candidate’s strengths and weaknesses. At the end of the day, you need to know if this person will fit into the company dynamic. Being straightforward with this will give you clear cut answers that you can use to determine the final verdict. This is more about identifying growth opportunities than anything else, with the added benefit of knowing your possible future employee better.

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Hiring Metrics You Should be Tracking in 2022

Hiring Metrics help you improve your hiring strategy

Hiring Metrics You Should be Tracking in 2022

“It is much more difficult to measure nonperformance than performance.”

- Harold S. Geneen, Ex-President of ITT Corporation

Attracting high-quality candidates seems to be one of the biggest challenges that hiring managers face these days. To help drive the odds in their favour, one would measure and track certain hiring metrics. These metrics serve the purpose of acting as indicators. They show you where you stand in terms of success. They also show how much you have to grow and the changes you need to make to get there. Keep in mind that there are plenty of hiring metrics to track when attempting to capture the cream of the crop. However, some metrics are more important than others.

Determining which ones are more important depends to how your business defines success. Having said that, for growing businesses, it can be tough to know which metrics to prioritize. Hence, we have put together a list of hiring metrics for you that you need in 2022. Regardless of the direction your business might go in, these indicators can be applied to a variety of scenarios!

Hiring Metrics #1: Hires per Month

Hires per month and headcount growth is some of the most universal metrics when it comes to recruitment. Tracking your hires per month is essential. It tells you how many people your company hires on an average monthly basis. On the other hand, the headcount growth is a figure that you can aim for over a period of time- sort of like a recruitment goal.

By having these two metrics measured and tracked side-by-side you can have hard facts that tell you how well you are performing. You could have just one of those metrics, but having both works together is ideal. This is especially good for a business that plans to consistently hire and expand. However, you need to make sure that the growth targets are realistic. Take into account the size and capacity of the hiring team, the market trends, the nature of the role and so on.

Time to hire is one of the most important hiring metrics
The time it takes to interview can be an indicator to different things like candidate quality, time to hire, etc.

Hiring Metrics #2: Cost per Hire

While you track how often you hire people and how many you hire, it’s also important to measure the cost to the business. Remember, labour is not free and quality talent will make a dent in your budget. Now the cost to hire goes beyond just your employee’s salary. You have to take into consideration things like how much you’re paying a hiring agency (if applicable), the cost to be listed on a job board, membership fees for certain networks and so on. In some cases, you might even have to take into consideration the recruit’s relocation costs. All this will tell you how efficient your overall recruitment process is.

Hiring Metrics #3: Average Time per Interview

This metric is often mixed up with time to hire. The truth of the matter is, in the modern hiring landscape, the time to hire is too broad a concept. For example, the time to hire someone as a waiter will not be the same as the time it takes to hire an IT professional. These are two vastly different occupations with different hiring criteria and need to be handled as such. Therefore, having an average measure of time to hire, from the date of advertising the position to filling it, is unrealistic!

A better way to go about it is to measure the average time to interview candidates. This in itself will give you a measure of the time a candidate spends interviewing with your company. It will also give you additional data such as the candidate’s interviewing experience as well as your overall time to hire an individual. It’s a more compartmentalized approach, yet it works quite well for all intents and purposes.

Hiring Metrics #4: Probation Pass Percentage

Hiring a candidate that doesn’t stick around is a drain on your company’s time and resources. It is therefore all the more surprising how few companies consider post-hiring performance as an effective hiring metric. This is where the probation period comes in handy. By measuring the percentage of candidates that pass the probation, you can efficiently identify whether you’re hiring the right candidate. It will also give you a better idea of what kind of candidate might best fit the company culture and the quality standards you expect.

Yes, the probation pass numbers are a reflection of the recruitment efforts of your team or the recruitment agency that you employ. However, it is also a measure of the candidate’s willingness and aptitude. If there is a high percentage of candidates that fail the probation period, it could be that you are not hiring the right people or their skills aren’t measuring up to your expectations. In which case, you need to set clearer expectations and communicate the same when hiring. This metric is a good indicator of how to best alter the recruitment strategy.

Hiring Metrics #5: Measure Percentage of Inbound Hires

This is an important one. As a business with a working recruitment strategy, you need to know the percentage of your inbound hires. That is to say, how many people are approaching you, through the ads or job postings that you have put out. When you track this, you will get an idea of whether your recruitment efforts are reaching the right candidates and job market. If the inbound hires are not up to your expectations, then that means that you’re spending more time reaching out to candidates than they approach you.

Having a huge ratio of outbound hires to inbound hires could mean that the majority of your strategy isn’t reaching the right audience. It could also mean that it is reaching them, but not converting into anything of significance. This hiring metric will tell you how to adjust your advertising strategy and drive your efforts from that point.

There are tons of different metrics to measure your success, but only a few will work for you. Focus only on those!
Hiring Metrics

Hiring Metrics #6: Offer Acceptance Rate

This is one of the more obvious hiring metrics, but a necessary one nonetheless. Of course, you need to track the offer acceptance rate to identify how often you achieve the goal of securing talent. However, you should consider this metric as a primary indicator for other feedback points. If the offer acceptance rate is low, then the hiring experience might be poor, or you could be taking too long to process the candidate. Having said that, you shouldn’t aim for an unrealistic, ‘perfect’ acceptance rate score either. Doing that could take away from the attention you give to the quality of the candidate experience or the candidate themselves. Neither extreme is good for business. Maintaining a 75% to 85% acceptance rate is ideal in most cases.

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Reference Checks Vs. Employment Verifications: Weighing Your Options

Reference Checks Vs. Employment Verification

Reference Checks Vs. Employment Verifications: Weighing Your Options

“If opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door.”

- Milton Berle, American comedian

If you have ever been involved in the recruitment process, you might have heard the terms reference checking and employment verification being used interchangeably. However, this is a common misconception. While both can be used to verify an employee or candidate’s employment history, they are vastly different in how they are carried out. Quite simply, reference checks have more versatility to them. In this blog, we will explore what these two modes of verification are, how they function and how you as an employer can use them to leverage the best results.

What is Reference Checking?

A reference check comes as part of a standard hiring process. This is when the candidate in question provides the hiring manager with contacts that can attest to his or her abilities. These can be personal or professional, though it is often the latter. Reference checks give hiring managers an idea about the candidate’s work history, responsibilities, performance and even workplace behaviour.

Essentially, you can attain a wide range of information about the candidate that ties into their physical performance and work history as well as abstract metrics such as behaviour, workplace etiquette, work standards and so on.

What is Employment Verification?

Now, where the reference check allows for a wide range of data collection points, the employment verification is a little more boxed in. This is where a prospective employer or future employer gets in touch with the previous employer. They will then confirm job-specific facts like the job title, start and end dates, the reason for leaving or why they were terminated (if that is the case).

Reference checks give you more room to explore the candidate's skills

Reference checks offer more variety and help you assess the candidate's different facets. This better suits the needs of the modern workplace.

Reference Checks Vs. Employment Verification

Before we get into how you can leverage reference checking; we need to understand the key similarities and differences between a reference check and employment verification. When it comes to a reference check or employment verification, it generally happens over a call, sometimes an email. The recruiter or hiring manager asks questions relating to the candidate’s productivity, communication skills, success points, attendance, cultural fit, and other metrics that point to their strengths and weaknesses.

As we mentioned before, employment verification is a little more straightforward. The line of questioning is a little more limited to the job roles and such. Don’t get the wrong idea though, this is a tried-and-true method that will give you the answers you want, but only for validating that the candidate worked at the company, for how long and at what capacity.

If you’re looking for more of a feedback or review based answer on how they performed and what they are like to have as an employee, then a reference check is your best bet. Having said that, both methods are common to a head with a common obstacle, which is the struggle to get unbiased or full information from the phone calls.

"To improve is to change; to be perfect is to have changed often."

- Winston Churchill, Former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

Why Is It So Hard to Get Information via Phone Calls?

Regardless of the path you take, as the hiring manager, you will often run into one of two problems. One, you might face time constraints and two, referees may be unwilling to answer. Let’s be honest, calling around about a single employee to multiple sources is a time-consuming affair. Half of the time, most of the referees won’t be willing to speak to you either. This will severely limit the amount and quality of information that you get from these calls.

Another common issue with either process is that traditional reference checks happen so late in the game. Usually, they take place towards the end of the hiring process. By that time, it becomes more of an exercise in futility- a formality. The information you get at that stage won’t make much of a difference unless it is something significant, given that the company has already invested so much time and effort into recruiting said candidate.

Methods for Leveraging Reference Checks

Now that we have a basic understanding of how the two methods function, it’s time to turn our attention to the reference checks. This is the more versatile of the two and can potentially give you a candidate’s full professional history if done right. So, let’s get into it!

Tip #1 Ask the Right Questions

When you’re conducting the reference check, make sure to line up the questions in such a way that it correlates with key hiring decisions. Some of the best questions will challenge what you initially assumed about the candidate’s characteristics during the initial rounds of the interview. You could set them to target specific things such as communication skills, critical thinking and so on.

Use a simple question such as: How well did he or she communicate in high-stress collaborative situations? This will reveal volumes about a person and give you valuable feedback on how they worked in a team, independently and under pressure. If these factors coincide with your hiring values, then it will help you make an informed decision about the actual hire.

Keeping a uniform baseline is one of the best things you can do when comparing reference check data of candidates.

Having a common baseline will help you when comparing data from reference checks

Tip #2 Break It up into Stages

You will want to structure the recruitment and reference check process into several stages. This will help you set a standardized baseline that avoids unwanted bias. It is especially helpful when you have a large volume of candidates to check. There are a few things that we recommend you focus on when standardizing. First of all, the questions have to be standardized. Have a common set of questions on hand that can be asked for all candidates’ referees. This will give you a healthy measure to make a comparison with later.

The next thing you want to standardize is the criteria for acceptable references. At what level or rank should the referee be in the previous company? Are referees outside of the workplace acceptable referees? This will help you cut down on the sheer number of references and focus on the ones you need. It will also set the stage for the next issue, which is identifying the credibility of the referee. Make sure that the information you get is from a proper source.  Lastly, we recommend that you have a fixed time limit for the amount of time you dedicate for each reference check. As we mentioned before, it can be a time-consuming process. So, make it count!

Tip #3 Do It Early in the Process

It may be an outdated practice to have reference checks done towards the end of the recruitment process, yet it is still common. It is a common misconception that this is just for verification purposes, therefore it can be done at the end as it doesn’t yield much information. However, a reference check can raise major red flags when done right and does factor into the final hiring decision.

The best time to do it is immediately after the first few rounds of the interview. Do it before you invest too much time and effort into any one candidate. It will tell you if it is worth pursuing. You can also do it intermittently throughout the process to verify and investigate the candidate’s claims as the recruitment process goes on. The point is to catch any red flags early on, or as soon as possible.

Tip #4 Automation is Your Best Friend

Phone calls are the traditional method of doing these reference checks, however, automated reference checking is far better. Given the nature of automated reference checks, referees are more likely to answer honestly and fully. Since everything is online, there is not much room for human bias and it’s a massive time-saver for everyone involved. This eliminates the need for the hiring manager to play phone tag with candidate referees and gives you more time to focus on the rest of the recruitment process. This is why we here at Credibled offer you such an extensive, automated reference check!

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The Future of Work: Navigating the Hiring Crisis of the Post-Covid-19 Era

What is the future of work after the Covid-19 aftermath?

The Future of Work: Navigating the Hiring Crisis of the Post-Covid-19 Era

“The future of work consists of learning a living.”

- Marshall McLuhan, Canadian Philosopher

Imagine that you are in a situation where you have to rethink your entire way of doing business overnight. Despite your initial fears, it turns out that the new method shows promise for something more long-term. It acts as a blueprint of sorts for the days ahead. Believe it or not, this is what most workplace leaders discovered in the Covid-19 crisis. The future of work trends points to the fact that the hiring crisis of the post-Covid-19 era will haunt us for many days to come. However, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t ways to adapt. You could even thrive with the right strategy in place.

Let’s recap, in the wake of the pandemic, what did we see? We saw a mass global migration for pretty much all sectors across the majority of industries. This migration was one where everyone was either moving to the digital realm or upgrading their existing online infrastructure. The pandemic essentially forced our hands at improving our approach to business, the technologies therein, and even how we search for talent.

In this article, we will be looking at some key strategies that should help you better navigate the hiring crisis of the post-Covid-19 era. This will give you a better idea of how to approach the future of work.

Your internal and external recruitment resources need to align in order to maximize on the future of work

The better your internal teams and external initiatives are aligned, the higher the quality of hires are.

The Future of Work: Set the Stage for the Best Results

One thing that you should keep in mind when going through the recruitment process is alignment. This refers to the alignment of your internal and external resources as well as the candidates with the values of the organisation. Let’s break it down. In today’s landscape, it goes far beyond just an interview. One has to make sure that the hiring leaders are fully aware of the changing market landscape. For this purpose, many companies have been proactively hiring external agencies to help skill up hiring leaders.

This makes for a better alignment of the hiring leadership with the talent acquisition team. Once everyone is on the same page, you get better results. In terms of aligning your candidates with the values of the company, just be sure to have a clear idea in mind of the type of employee you are looking for. This should give you a good idea of what criteria a candidate has to meet to effectively carry out their duties. With that, your stage is set and you are ready to tackle the future of work.

The Future of Work: Attracting Candidates in a Tight Job Market

Look, with the onset of the pandemic and everything shifting to digital, first impressions have become all the more important. In this day and age, it isn’t just the candidates who have to impress the company, it’s a two-way street. Companies have to go out of their way to show candidates why they would want to work there over the competition. It’s the only way to stay afloat in this economy. Having said that, here are a few ways you can go about this.

"You have to value skills and not just degrees."

- Ginni Rometty, Chairman, President and CEO of IBM

#1 Make Candidate Experience a Priority in the Future of Work

The first step to any successful recruitment process is to design it in a way that puts people first. The future of work depends on the candidate’s experience. It is the most important thing that can come out of it. It should be constructed in such a way that the recruiter has time to connect with people during the hiring process. As we mentioned before, technology has seen massive improvements in the workplace, so use it to your benefit. Use technology and things like automated reference checks to take the admin work off your recruiter’s plate. Free them up to get to know the person behind the resume. It is crucial to understand how the work will fit into the candidate’s life and not the other way around.

The world and the future of work have changed drastically over the past few years and continue to evolve. We now find ourselves in a state where candidates are looking for work that offers them a holistic lifestyle as opposed to just another paycheck.

#2 Try for Candidates with Transferable Skills

Another way to attract top talent in these tough times is to look into transferable skills. A good way to think about this is to consider candidates from industries that have relevant or adjacent skillsets that can be adapted for your business. This provides you with the benefit of time saved on upskilling freshers, while still retaining an employee who can absorb new knowledge about the industry. Alternatively, you could also consider recruiting internally!

This is a great way to build employee loyalty and fill in the talent gap at the same time. Use what you have, that is the ultimate takeaway from this point.

You need to offer employees something that will make them want to work for you. It's a two-way street.

The future of work is a two-way street.

#3 Polish Up Your Employer Value Proposition for a Better Future of Work

As the needs of the job market shift, so too should your Employer Value Proposition (EVP) to accommodate the future of work. As mentioned above, candidates want a job that provides them with a degree of satisfaction. You need to carry yourself in such a way that you look desirable as an employer. People should want to work for you because of what you have to offer them. This could take the form of better work hours, more time off, a wide range of benefits or even a higher pay scale. 

Make sure that whatever changes you implement in practice, are out there for the world to see. Revamp your website and social media platforms. Highlight what you stand for and what you can offer your employees.

#4 Referrals Are Your Best Friend

Glassdoor is a great example of referrals or peer-to-peer advocacy. People want to hear from people about the company. They want to know the employee’s perspective before they commit to your business. Referrals have always been a great vehicle for recruitment. It even plays a massive role in automated reference checking if you think about it. Word-of-mouth carries weight.

However, now you have the technology to back up your efforts, so use it! Get a dedicated team to jump on the phones, follow up with referrals and make the most of it. A positive word about your business practices can work wonders when trying to accommodate the future of work trends.

#5 Keep the Hope Alive to Navigate the Future of Work

This is not emphasized nearly as much as it should be. Frankly speaking, the Covid-19 pandemic has brought the world face-to-face with some of humanity’s darkest times. This applies both economically and socially. In such a case, it’s crucial to maintain a positive mindset. You, as an employer, need to take steps to boost employee morale. Because, at the end of the day, everything we mentioned so far, stems from a healthy outlook towards the business.

Take time to reflect on shortcomings, challenges and success. Celebrate the little things and the things you learnt. This will preserve your company’s values and just help things run a lot smoother in the long run. In a way, it brings us back to the first point. It’s all about people. People help you run your business, so put them first to the best of your ability. So, there you have it, some of the key ways in which you can adapt to the future of work in the post-Covid-19 era.

Why Reference Check Matters — And How It Protects Your Hiring Process
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How Automated Reference Checking Improves the Quality of Your Hires

Automated Reference Checking can help streamline your recruitment process significantly

How Automated Reference Checking Improves the Quality of Your Hires

“Technology is best when it brings people together.”

- Matt Mullenweg, American entrepreneur

Automated Reference Checking: A report by Glassdoor that was issued in June of 2015, pointed to an alarming trend. In places like the US and Canada, the average time to hire a new employee was averaging around 22 days! Now, if you think things are any better outside of the west, you would be mistaken. On average, in countries like Germany, France and the U.K. the time took almost 4 to 9 days more than that of Canada or the US. This was way back then and to be honest, that trend has largely remained true and strong to this day. Nowadays, most companies have to wait 30 days or so, almost one whole month till they can onboard the candidate!

Trivialities like the contract termination period, the notice period and even the interview and screening process all add up. Eventually, you are left with a long and winding process that you are not even sure is worth all that time and effort on your part. More often than not you might get an employee with a marginal qualification for the job, or if they are qualified, some aspect of their past might prevent them from performing the role as needed. Maybe they aren’t the best team player or have a criminal history, whatever the case, something always gets overlooked. That is why in this article we will be talking about the benefits that automated reference checking can bring to the table. We will also talk about how it can help improve the quality of your hires!

Automated Reference Checking gives you more control over the quality of data

Automated reference checking gives your more actionable data that you can use to evaluate new hires. This means better quality!

Automated Reference Checking Makes for a Streamlined Process

Reference checking is by far, one of the most time consuming and tedious processes of recruitment. Now, if we look at traditional recruitment, in most cases, only a small portion of the references who are contacted give you all the information you are looking for. Most are simply too busy or just not willing to go through with answering the questions for fear of legal repercussions.

This leaves us with an inefficient system. Hence, we bring you the beauty of automated reference checking! As a concept, it works to streamline the entire data collection process. HR and hiring managers can quickly collect the information with little to no hassle on their part.

The fact that automated reference checking gives you more complete information, means that you have the data to make better decisions about your hires.

Get More Actionable Data with Automated Reference Checking

Throughout the recruitment process, you might have to go back and forth between several references just for a single candidate. In this process, you would have likely encountered references who waste time on the phone with vague platitudes, small talk or just simply give you the run-around. The automated reference checking process eliminates all that by allowing you to collect consistent information that specifically highlights areas of strength or weakness.

"We're changing the world with technology."

- Bill Gates, Microsoft Co-Founder

Why Does Automated Reference Checking Work Better?

As we mentioned before, when you have a phone call with references or even an email for that matter, the number of people willing to give you the details you want is low. All you end up with is a stack of vague, half-answers that form the basis for a somewhat questionable hire. 

Now, when you consider automated reference checks, people are more likely to answer surveys fully. For one, it carries an air of anonymity to it and there is no room to beat around the bush.

This gives hiring managers a better look at the candidate. Once that data is collected, you will be able to view it in a compact manner that shows you who has what skills and or weaknesses. 

Data acquired quickly with better quality makes for faster hires that don’t run the risk of feeding into your turnover stats at the end of the fiscal year. Instead of focusing on your intuition, you can rely on hard facts to support your hiring choices.

Using a standard automated reference checking process ensures that there is no room for human bias.​

Automated Reference Checking

Automate to Eliminate Bias

If someone’s references are good, sometimes the truth is they can be too good to be true. You have to remember that at the end of the day, those are people who had a working relationship with your candidate in the past. This means they can buff the candidate’s resume more than necessary or even be protective of them to a degree.

By using the standardized format of automated reference checking, you eliminate that bias. The whole process is far less personal, so references are more likely, to be honest with you. This means you can select candidates on their merit and skill, rather than enthusiastic fluff.

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