Passive candidates present a massive opportunity in terms of lead generation and business growth. Credibled can help you tap into this talent pool and boost your lead generation and business growth.
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If you are looking for an automated reference checking software, Credibled offers the perfect solution for businesses.
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The recruitment process for a job can be a tiring and expensive process. Take a look at these effective methods that will help you.
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“Expand you reference, and you’ll immediately expand your life.”
When you’re shortlisted as part of the pool of candidates for a particular job, it usually turns out that your qualifications are very similar to that of the other applicants. It is here that employers look for key differentiators that will give them a reason to hire you. Many times, it is the person who is the best cultural fit, personality fit or has the most ideal work history. The only way the hiring manager or employer can find out about these traits is by asking someone. This person should be someone you, the candidate, have worked with in the past. These people are known as references. Listing references, especially the right ones can be a tricky affair.
References are a crucial part of the job search and interview process. Some companies might provide formal references or recommendations for their employees. Others might avoid it completely due to legal reasons. Then we have personal references which is a whole other story. In this blog, we will have a look at the things you should keep in mind when listing references.
Asking people to be your reference can be a time-consuming process. You need to work your way through the list of potential contacts. You also have to make sure that they are okay with being listed as a reference. This can take a lot of time. Hence, it is advisable to first get your ducks in a row, as it were before you start applying for a job. What if you find yourself halfway down the interview and recruitment process with zero references?
It might make sense to list your previous supervisor as a reference, but there are no guarantees as to how they might speak about you. Rather take a moment to evaluate all the people who worked above you in previous companies. Determine who is likely to give you the fairest assessment. This will better your chances.
Another way to boost your chances and keep things fresh in the recruitment process is to diversify your references. Have a list of people who can vouch for your different skill sets and qualifications. This way you can approach them separately for referencing you, depending on the job you’re applying for.
You want references who can communicate their thoughts and are rather well-spoken. The same applies to their writing in case they have to reply by email. What you don’t want to have is a reference who has a habit of sending one-liner emails or gives unenthusiastic half-references when called up. It is also a good idea to list references who are prompt. This will serve as a good foundation for your reference list.
Touching back on our previous point, it is always important to make sure the person is willing to be a reference. You can’t just expect it, especially with company policies and the risk of lawsuits they might face. Give them the option to opt-out. This will save you a lot of issues down the line as well.
You might be in a hurry to land a job and desperate to get done with listing references. However, that shouldn’t be a reason to pester people to be your reference. Wait and see, people might take some time to get back to you. If they take too long, like around a week, then reach out to them again. If they still don’t get back to you, it might be best to let it go and keep searching for more prompt references.
Part of getting someone to be your reference and to make the most of it is to make the process easy on them. Send them everything they need to give accurate and good information on you. Forward your resume or link to your LinkedIn profile. You could even consider sending them documents and certificates of your accomplishments. A highly useful tactic is to include the job description that you are applying for and what qualifications the new employer is looking for. Think of it as giving your references cue cards that tell them what to speak on or touch upon.
Do not be afraid to ask for a reference letter. This can be a great time-saver. It can be included in the job application itself and can eliminate the need for a phone call or email follow-up by the hiring manager.
Every time you’re listing references for a specific job application process, let those people know. Consider it a professional courtesy. Send out a quick email or call them to let them know that someone will be calling them to do a reference check on you. This is also a good time to let them know what job you are applying for, as well as the name of the hiring manager and company.
You must follow up with your references when you have some news or updates regarding the job. Let them know if you got the job or not, and thank them for the efforts that they put in. You should also offer them a reciprocal offer if they need a reference in the future. Think of it as building good faith and maintaining your professional relationships, which can come in handy down the line.
“Diligence is the mother of good fortune.”
Before we get into the top tips, let’s look at what reference checking entails. It is the process of verifying information about a candidate during the hiring process. While it can be conducted over a phone call or an email, in recent times, employers have taken to other, more modern processes such as online survey forms, automated reference checking services and so on. The purpose of this is to make a more informed decision about the candidate before hiring them. One of the major challenges with the modern hiring market is that every open position gets hundreds of applicants in a given time frame.
Checking all their references can be a time-consuming and often complicated process. In this blog, we will give you the run-down of top reference checking tips that can lend themselves to a smoother reference checking process. However, before we get down to the reference checking tips, let’s briefly go over how one should go over a run-of-the-mill reference check.
The first thing to do when attempting to conduct a reference check is to identify yourself, your affiliations (which company you’re calling from) and the person who listed them as a reference. Start the conversation by asking the reference if now is a good time to talk. Next, you will want to assure them that all the answers and questions will remain confidential. Once you get the green light to proceed and they seem willing and ready, you move to phase two.
Start by verifying the basic details like the dates of employment and termination, employment history up until that point and so on. You also want to dive into the candidate’s capabilities such as knowledge base, work-relevant skills and so on. Ask the reference if they think the candidate in question would be a good fit for the role. Above all else, give the reference room to breathe and answer in their own time. Don’t take them down the road to the easy answer, nor should you keep interrupting them. Give them time and have them answer directly.
In the above paragraphs, we talked about the reference checking process in regards to the reference, now, we will take a more balanced perspective. Let’s look at how you should handle reference checks with regards to the candidates as well as the references.
Remember earlier when we said how each position can get hundreds of applicants? Well, this may be a good way of weeding out the honest candidates from the mountain of resumes. be upfront about the fact that you do thorough reference checks. This will highlight candidates that have given less than ideal references or other related issues. Before you know it, you may find your candidacy list shirking by itself. The result will be a pool of candidates that will be more ideal in terms of what you are looking for and most importantly, honest.
If we are being honest, some days at the office can get a little hectic, especially when you’re in the midst of a hiring process with many candidates. However, you should try your best to avoid passing the baton of referencing checking a candidate. If you do, you could potentially miss something huge with that candidate. As the hiring manager or employer, you know exactly what to look for and what you need. No one else will see it the same way, nor will they ask the right questions.
These slip-ups could be as small as a passing remark made by the reference that could have revealed something big that clashes with your company culture. Something you might have likely missed since the job was passed onto someone else. This particular point is therefore one of the most important reference checking tips.
When you have to deal with more than one reference per candidate there is a challenge and an advantage to that. The challenge is that you have to keep track of a lot of information for correlation. To make the best hiring decision, you need to take lots of notes and double-check when you’re unsure.
If you miss a step, you might miss by a mile in terms of candidate evaluation. Now, in terms of the advantage, there are around two or three references for a given candidate. This means that you can cross-check information and see how authentic that candidate’s profile is. Getting that third reference to confirm can make all the difference.
If you have the choice between doing it via email or phone, rather do it over the phone. There are a lot of nuances that you can pick up in a live conversation. Little things like inflections in their voice, tone, subtle passing comments, etc. All things that can reveal a lot about a candidate. The same doesn’t translate well into the written word and they are less likely to reveal something negative directly for fear of liability issues.
As most conversations go, start it off on the lighter side. Start the reference checking process with easy questions like: How long did they work for you? This presents a much higher chance of eliciting the responses that matter rather than jumping straight into the deep questions. Also, keep in mind that you should try to phrase your questions in a positive light.
This may seem like an obvious one, but the fact is there can be minor discrepancies between the candidate’s stated dates of employment and the reality. This makes this point one of the most important references checking tips on this list. At the end of the day, you’re looking for a candidate of a certain experience, it doesn’t help you if this turns out to be false, so make sure before you hire them.
As far as reference checking tips go, this is another important one. The last thing you want as an outcome from the process is a whole bunch of vague, open-ended answers. Ask references questions in a way that will lead them to give you specific answers. For example, you might want to ask the reference: So, the candidate got along with their co-workers, correct? This would be preferred as opposed to asking a question like: How well did the candidate get along with their co-workers?
In this digital age, the social media realm offers lots of insights into who a person is. The same applies to candidates. When doing your due diligence this is a good place to look. While you may not be checking references in the traditional sense, checking a candidate’s public Facebook posts or Twitter feed can offer a lot of insight. This is especially true of their LinkedIn profile. This can quickly highlight not only their past work experiences and career orientation but also any discrepancies on their resumes.
If you have ever done a reference check in the past, you might have come across ex-employers who seem hesitant to answer some of your questions. Many times, references will hold back on answers out of fear of liability issues arising as a result. The best move you can make in these situations is to assure them that everything they say will remain confidential where applicable.
It’s not unusual to have a candidate give you a fake reference as they may have had a falling out with their previous employer, or know that they have nothing good to say about the candidate. Hence, it is important to keep an eye on the authenticity of the references. As far as reference checking tips go, this one is cardinal, it gives legitimacy to the whole process. Verify the reference’s title, company name, their full name, dates of employment and if they were the candidate’s supervisor.
So, there you have it, some of the best reference checking tips that we think will help smooth out your recruitment process. However, if you still think that you might not have the time to sort through mountains of applications, there is an alternative: automated reference checking. Something that we here at Credibled specialize in! So, consider it and good luck!
“To ask the right question is already half the solution of a problem.”
In this day and age, the workplace isn’t what it used to be. The pandemic proved how valuable job security and satisfaction were for employees. When it comes down to the recruitment process, the job interview is often the defining moment for both employer and employee. In such a rapidly changing landscape, you as the employee, need to also have the assurance that your potential employer has your best interest at heart. You also need to be sure that there is room for growth and that they are adapting to the ever-changing landscape. This blog aims to give candidates and jobseekers alike a helping hand in framing some impressive questions that can not only help your chances at landing a job but also help you assess the company for compatibility. Without delay, let’s get into it!
Don’t think of this as an offensive question. It’s completely fair for you as a potential future employee to want to know if your employer has a viable business model. You need to make sure you have some level of job security before diving in right? Besides, it’s no secret that a lot of companies went under during the pandemic-induced shutdowns. If not that, it’s been downsized or restructured. Everyone had to learn to adapt or drown, so you need to know how they survived so you can go forward.
It would also be a good idea to check if they have a plan to survive the next pandemic if there ever was one. Given the different variants out there and the consecutive waves across the globe, it’s hard to be certain of anything. Make sure your employer has a backup plan in place.
Keeping to the pandemic centric questions, this is another one. It was a time when the world was forced to come together. Industries relied on each other and had to go the extra mile to survive. Some companies like food delivery services and grocery stores became key social enablers that people depended on daily. Alcohol distilleries started manufacturing hand sanitisers in some parts of the world.
The point being, asking your prospective employer about how they added value to other businesses or society in general during this time is very insightful. They tell you a lot about the employer’s character and intentions.
Most people have gotten used to the remote work model. It’s flexible and convenient most days. If not that, then a hybrid work model. Whatever the case, not many are in favor of the usual 9-to-5 work model. If you find yourself a part of this crowd, then you should ask your prospective employer if they have flexible work policies. If they don’t ask them what the average week looks like. This is a great job interview question to help you decide where you want to work.
If the pandemic taught us anything, it is that the future is uncertain. As a potential employee, it makes sense for you to want to know what your prospective company envisions for its future. What are they working towards and are you interested in being a part of that vision? Ask them about projects or strategies that they have in the pipeline.
To be able to grow or even work at a company, you need to know if you would get along with the other employees. Ask your employer about what the culture is like, how open and free the general atmosphere is most days and what they strive to achieve in that. This job interview question is very important because most employees quit after a few months. This is often due to the company culture not being what they expected.
This job interview question has always been a relevant one. Coming back to the idea of job security. You need to know if there is room for career growth within the company. Ask them what incentives they provide, how often do they have their employee assessments, how much do they alter salary increments and even how often they promote people. There is no point in joining a company where you hit a dead-end in terms of career growth.
“Don’t get distracted by the shiny object (and if a crisis comes), execute on the fundamentals.”
In recent years with the shift in work modes as a result of the pandemic, many have lost their jobs. This is partly also due to the changes in technology that were forced into commission as a result of the circumstances. The rapid changes in the needs of businesses left gaping canyons of disparity when it comes to skill shortages. As job demands increase and change new skills are being found to fill the gaps. This leaves some skills outdated, unfortunately.
When all is said and done, businesses are struggling to find the right skill sets to address the skill shortages they face. More than that, talent is also becoming scarce. Without the right recruitment strategy, the shrinking talent pool may eventually dry up. Having said that, in today’s blog, we will address these skill shortages by showing you what steps you can take to improve your hiring strategy.
When skill shortages are concerned, it becomes critical to hire the right people at the right time. As you would imagine, with such a scenario, the competition is likely to be high for the existing talent pool. The more the competition, the longer it might take you to find the right person for the job.
The candidate also gets more leverage due to the high demand for their skills. This can lead to a high payout to land a certain candidate. However, even if you win this race, there is no guarantee that you will find the right candidate. The chances of hiring the wrong person go up in a shrinking talent pool. This is partly because you are just grabbing the first best opportunity you get. That’s why it’s important to take the time to assess your options and make sure you focus on hiring the right person.
Sometimes all it boils down to is using the right technology. For instance one of the main reasons that the recruitment process takes so long, is the reference checking and cross verification. What if you had a tool that could help you automate that process so your hiring manager can focus on what matters. This is where automated reference checking like Credibled comes in.
Credibled was founded by highly experienced recruiting industry leaders to provide cost-effective, automated reference checking solutions. We have utilized reference checking services ourselves and felt that there is a lot of room for growth and change in the industry. We took our prior experience to develop an industry-leading software solution. In the fierce race to secure top talent, Credibled enables you to win the battle with transparent, accurate and accelerated reference checks.
Our powerful API gives you an unmatched verification experience in the recruitment process. This means that you can start building on our platform effortlessly and make your background checks faster, easier, and more accurate. So, it’s worth considering.
Many hiring managers will tell you that losing your existing employees takes more of a toll on the company than hiring new ones. Therefore, when you do find the right person, make sure you employ strategies to retain them for the long run. However, before you can jump in and try to create an employee retention plan to address the skill shortages, you need to identify the reasons for low retention.
It could be a variety of different things from poor quality of management, tough work-life balance, poor cultural fit, or even a lack of opportunity to grow within the company. Then once you identify the issues, you can go about creating solutions to address them. For example, you could pay competitive salaries, offer on-the-job training, reward and appreciate employees for their efforts or just re-invent the culture of the company to make it more inclusive.
During the recruitment process, you build a repository of candidates. The mistake most hiring managers make is that they forget about all the ones that didn’t make it past screening. This is perhaps one of the most valuable resources you can have in the fight against skill shortages. As time goes on, these individuals are constantly studying, training and gaining new skills that might be useful later down the line.
A talent pool is never stagnant. Hence, you need to stay in touch with them and do regular follow-ups. This is especially useful when you’re headhunting and in the race for top talent.
As we mentioned earlier, the onset of the pandemic forced mass migrations in technology and workforce trends. Most of the world was working from home. People got a taste for it. Now, even with offices opening back up, a lot of workers prefer the flexibility of working from home, which directly conflicts with the workforce composition of many companies. What hiring managers need to do, is to rethink their hiring policies and workforce compositions going forward. This includes accommodating the needs of remote workers.
“Efficiency and focus are the keys to success.”
The world of recruitment and hiring has become rather erratic and unpredictable over the past few years. This was especially highlighted by the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. When recruiters need to hire these days, they usually need to do it quickly. Now, the pandemic does play a part in this, but as we said it is only one part. The other is due to the rapid digitization of the market. As a whole, candidates are getting more and more accustomed to a more efficient and higher quality recruitment process. According to a whitepaper published by the Robert Walters Group, around 65% of candidates are put off by lengthy recruitment.
Another paper published by Deloitte states that around 83% of candidates who have a negative recruitment experience can often change their minds about a role or a company that they once liked. What these numbers tell us is that a long and awkward recruitment process will do more harm than good. This is not just speaking in terms of your candidate pool, but also your employer brand. Having said that, in this blog, we will have a look at a few different ways to improve your recruitment process strategy in 2022.
Efficiency in the recruitment process is both fast and easy for all parties involved. This means it should be a seamless experience between and for the candidate and hiring manager. If you were to define it further, an efficient process would be one where automation takes care of the manual tasks and saves on administrative time. An efficient process is also one that has the right timing. It collects the necessary information at the required time so no one wastes theirs.
At the end of the day, there might be a million different ways to make the recruitment process more efficient. However, the truth of the matter is, it all begins with having the right technology.
Let’s be honest, the usual way that recruitment processes unfold is by having candidates apply through a job site. As the hiring manager, you download their information, shortlist them and add them to a spreadsheet. Once all that is done you feed it into the screening software you use. In this day and age, this is too clunky. It leaves candidate information everywhere and becomes a chaotic mess that you need a whole team of people to track at times.
A good place to start is by integrating some form of Applicant Tracking System (ATS). Think of it like a storage core where you keep all your candidate information. It’s like a one-stop-shop. This way, you eliminate the need for multiple excel sheets and keep things streamlined for yourself and the candidate. No information will be lost, candidates won’t miss crucial emails and you can close unwanted candidates off from the process with higher efficiency.
You can judge the quality of the ATS based on how well it integrates with other recruitment technologies like your automated reference checking software.
Automation is a modern luxury that allows recruiters to work smarter and not harder. They can put their skills to use where it matters rather than spending hours phone-screening candidates. Once you have the right automation technology on your side, you will be able to shortlist candidates more efficiently. This means you don’t have to spend days or even weeks working your way through a thousand different applications and resumes.
Rather, you just need to call the candidates who were shortlisted and select the best from that crowd. Easier shortlisting means less time to hire and better quality of candidates seeing as the recruiter is free to use their talents where it matters most. Once again, as we mentioned before this should ideally integrate with your ATS as well.
So far, we have talked about the implementation of technology. This point is more about making sure you implement the right technology. With the arrival of the pandemic and everyone shifting to remote work, practically overnight, it was a big change. Companies grabbed the first recruitment automation solution they could get their hands on. However, with remote work looking like it will be a possible constant in the future, it’s time to adopt technologies that will scale up with your business.
Ask yourself if the technology adds value to the process and what ROI you get from it. What are its limitations? Is it available 24/7? Can you integrate it with your existing systems or expand it as necessary? These questions will help determine if you are choosing the right product for your specific business needs. If you suddenly have to hire a huge influx of candidates you don’t want to be left stranded because you need to update your strategy or tech stack.
Experimenting doesn’t just mean checking all your processes all the time. It means to change things up a little! If you usually recruit at the end of the process, try doing it at the beginning! This is a great way to shortlist a group of strong candidates and it saves a ton of time. It can also help you lock down top talent fast as the due diligence will be done early on in the process.
Another thing you could do is pre-screen all your eligible candidates at the beginning of the recruitment process. It will allow you to evaluate more candidates in half the time. This means that you get to work with a wider talent pool and more data efficiently. There is also the added benefit of reduced human bias.
Constantly testing and experimenting will help you improve your overall recruitment process and candidacy funnel. Remember, you don’t have to reinvent the wheel or anything, just small changes can go a long way. Following these steps can help make the process easier and of higher quality, which is what you need in the modern job market as an employer.
“Woe to the man who tries to remain objective and to maintain a wide perspective: everyone will label him as an enemy.”
When it comes to reference checking or even the recruitment process in general, we often talk about what the candidate needs to bring to the table. We so often forget that the interview process is a two-way street and the role the interviewer plays is just as significant to consider. In this case, what does the recruiter bring to the table? Are they objective or inherently biased? If it’s that latter, what’s the solution? These are some of the questions we will attempt to tackle in today’s article.
When it comes down to the interview process, as a stranger, candidates get the raw end of the deal. This issue mainly boils down to how they are assessed by another stranger. When the candidate is someone the hiring manager is somewhat familiar with, then those people are assessed based on their past performances for the most part.
However, strangers are more or less judged on their motivation to get the job, some general competency standards, technical knowledge and their first impression. Now, don’t get us wrong, these are good measures to have when assessing a candidate, but not when it’s done through a biased lens. Let’s take a stranger who makes a good first impression, on some level the hiring manager will look for facts to justify their strengths. If it was a bad impression, they might subconsciously look for reasons to exclude them from the job.
The caveat here is, both sides can be factually backed up if you look hard enough. So, as you can see, interviewer bias has many layers to it, and it’s never really a clear-cut thing. Having said that, there are some ways in which one can reduce interview bias and keep the process relatively fair.
Before we dive into the list of ways in which you can reduce interviewer bias, we need to make note of one simple fact. Bias can only ever be reduced or managed. As a rule of thumb, human beings are biased on some level, consciously or subconsciously. It’s in our nature, be it for the better or worse. Having said that, these tactics will help you manage the bias.
When you put out an ad for a job, you will of course provide a job description. This is usually where the bias can start. More specifically, you need to define the description as a set of things that need to be done by a person. Oftentimes you might find that it is a list of things that the person needs to have.
If during an interview the candidate proves that they have previously done such work, it means that they have the skills to get the job done. However, this can contradict what was listed in the job description. Once you redefine the work for performance objectives rather than candidate requirements, you open up the talent pool. This not only brings in diversity, but also reduces bias as you would be comparing their past experiences, and not their first impressions.
One sure-fire way to reduce bias is to make the process a little less personal, at least initially. Before you even have an interview with the person, consider a normal phone call. This reduces bias by removing visual cues that could influence us. Instead, we would be going purely off their resume, track record and so on. Establishing a decent connection based purely on their performance history will set the pace for the rest of the interview. This way, the first onsite impression, be it good or bad, won’t matter, because you already know what they are capable of.
Having a panel of interviewers, as opposed to one person, lessens the odds of there being any bias in the room. This is especially helpful if all the interviewers are assigned specific roles. Having this diversity and a controlled proceeding will give the interview a good balance.
Scripting the interview, be it fully or partially can help reduce the interview bias as well. Giving the candidate the pre-scripted questions ahead of time brings down the chances of any deviations during the interview. This tip is pretty connected to the previous one, so perhaps consider combining them both in certain instances.
Now, we don’t mean you need to be slow in deciding, but rather take your time and think it through. A good rule of thumb is to wait 30 minutes before you make any yes or no decisions. In the meantime, make sure to ask all the candidates the same set of questions, regardless of if you have a positive or negative reaction.
Much like how a courtroom operates, you need to take into consideration all the evidence, i.e., the facts, before settling on any one decision. To make the closest thing to a balanced decision, you need to have all the information in your hand. Once you have all this you can make a more informed and balanced decision that is fair to everyone involved.
Remember the point we mentioned earlier about looking for facts that back up how we perceive a candidate? Well, this is a good way to combat that issue. Once you, the interviewer, have been through the recruitment process a few times, you will notice the pattern. Use this information to do work in opposition to what you perceive. Let’s use the earlier example of how we look for facts that back up how we perceive the candidates’ first impression.
Now, in such a case, force yourself to look for reasons that contradict how you perceive them. If they give a negative first impression, look for positive facts and vice versa. Think about it as looking for the other half of the puzzle.
When we interview people who are viewed as experts in their field, we tend to give them the benefit of the doubt. It is highly recommended that you treat every candidate as an expert too. If you give all your candidates the same courtesy, the truth will become obvious, whether you like them or not. This is a good way to objectively approach the recruitment process.
When it comes down to personal opinions there will always be bias involved to some degree. This is good in certain instances where you have to use your intuition to judge the quality of the candidate. However, if you’re trying to reduce interview bias in the process, consider using a scoring system to back up your opinions. Perhaps something along the lines of a scorecard.
When all is said and done about the bias of first impressions, there is still a use for first impressions. They can reveal a lot about the character of the candidate, which is essential for assessing workplace compatibility. Having said that, reserve all judgements on first impressions and only consider them towards the end of the interview process. This will allow you to get a reasonably objective view of them as you won’t be that deterred or wooed by said impression. You will have facts and reasons to measure it against.
While all these steps are great individual tools, it would be better if some aspect of these guidelines were involved throughout the recruitment process. It drives up the overall quality of your recruitment process while driving down the chances of interview bias.
“People are not your most important asset. The right people are.”
The reference checking process is part and parcel of the hiring process these days. At times it can be a highly useful tool to weed out the best candidates. Other times it can be a path that is fraught with challenges and obstacles. Usually, the references that candidates provide might be a combination of professional and personal references. Sometimes it can turn out these references have a bias toward or against the candidate which can impair the information gathering process.
Another common obstacle in the reference checking process is that hiring managers have to deal with a lot of red tape. Company policies can often limit the salary or even the dates of service that the HR representative can reveal about a former employee. Fair to say that the process can be time-consuming and trying. However, there are still workarounds. In this blog, we will explore how you as a reference checker can creatively and compliantly gather said information. Having said that, let’s dive in shall we?
You might have heard of the term ‘backdoor references’. These are references that the candidate didn’t directly provide. Now, it is important to keep in mind that, while it’s not illegal to contact people not specifically named as a reference by the candidate, there are certain guidelines. One of the major guidelines is consent. For instance, candidates should have given permission for reference checking to be conducted in the first place. You can’t just go over their heads on that.
Reference checkers should also not reach out to anyone the candidate has expressly asked not to contact. This especially applies to current employers of the candidate, as this could create several different issues for them.
Another thing to note is that you can branch out your investigation. If you happen to speak to the former manager of the candidate, you can ask them as to who they might recommend you speak with for more insight. As long as the candidate has specifically asked you not to, you’re free to reach out to these contacts.
No matter how well you may know a potential reference or how deep you dig for information, people will be hesitant when it comes to candidates with a bit of a rock job history. In some cases people might be hesitant on account of how it may reflect on them if they are too critical; in this day and age, anything can become controversial. So, this is where some good old-fashioned people skills come in!
A neat trick of the trade or an approach rather, is one where you include the candidate in the reference checking process. In the initial interview, probe the candidate about potential strengths, weaknesses and areas for growth. Ask them what the previous manager would say if you were to call them up. Keep probing till you get answers that raise red flags. These red flags can then be brought up in the reference check with the previous employer. You would be surprised how forthcoming employers can be when discussing things about a candidate when they don’t have to bring it up first. The whole point of this process is so that you know what to look for in terms of red flags. Think of it as a roadmap to the investigation in a way.
A useful question that you can employ in your reference checking process, is to ask ex-employers how and when the candidate went above and beyond the call of duty. If they can immediately give you certain examples of how said candidate outperformed their responsibilities, then you know that this is a regular occurrence. If the reference struggles to recall such an event, it automatically tells you plenty about the work ethic of the candidate. Essentially, you need to be able to read between the lines and hear what they are not actively saying. They say silence speaks volumes, and in this case, it truly does.
Another best practice is to not accept general answers. The whole point of the reference checking process is to extract details that will help you make a more informed decision about the hire. So, if the reference does give you vague or general answers, ask them to elaborate.
You should also consider being attentive to the reference’s mannerisms. If they are eager to respond, that means they have a positive professional relationship with the candidate. On the other hand, if they are hesitant to speak to you, this could point to some underlying personal or professional issue that they had with the candidate. That’s a red flag that you should look into.
Lastly, strive for consistency. Keep the reference checking process going until all the information you have points to a similar consensus. This will give you a more accurate basis to get a sense of who the candidate is and what they are capable of.