The hiring process of most companies nowadays does include reference checking. However, in reality, most employers omit that step or do it superficially because they think it is not important. As a result, they waste a lot of time and money afterwards due to hiring the wrong people. Under the circumstances, what should employers pay attention to when doing this task?
Who are right referees?
Reference checking is an essential part of the hiring process as it serves to confirm candidates’ educational background, experience, skills and personality. Through contacting with prior supervisors, colleagues, friends, professors of candidates, the hiring manager can verify the candidates’ performance and resume details as well as get a fuller picture of them. Based on this important information, the hiring managers will make the final hiring decision. In brief, reference checking is all about making sure the candidate is right for the job.
Is reference checking essential?
In reality, most hiring managers are aware that reference checking is essential. However, due to busy schedules, trust in candidates’ provided information, they often omit this task. The cost of this negligence can sometimes be very high. Ms. Hanh, recruitment manager of an FMCG company, can never forget the experience she had one year ago. Due to believing in the eloquence and achievements of a candidate, she did not check his references. During the probation period, he turned out to be a braggart and the performance in his resume had been exaggerated. Yet, she was still luckier than Mr. Quan, Sales Manager of an IT company. He recruited a candidate who claimed to have worked for many large companies without checking his teamwork skill. After that, he realized this candidate was pompous, uncooperative and always considered himself as the best.
So what should we do to check references effectively? There are some tips you ought to pay attention to:
Checking references of short-listed candidates only
You should check references of candidates who have passed the final interview. This saves your time and demonstrates your respect for the candidates.
Requiring candidates to provide at least three reference sources
To make your task easier, you should require candidates to provide names and telephone numbers of at least three referees. Those people should have worked with the candidates for at least 6 months and know well the candidate's skills and achievements. Ideally, one of those refereees should be from the candidate's current or most recent line managers.
Actively calling the referees yourself
If possible, always arrange your time to call the referees yourself, instead of passing the task down to a lower level staff member. Some of the most valuable information is only provided if the callers are at a similar or higher management level with the referees.
Preparing questions for referees
You should prepare a list of questions you plan to ask the referees. You could write a Reference Check form and send to the referees via fax or e-mail in advance to make it easy for them to prepare.
Being specific
When conducting reference checks, it's helpful to start by introducing yourself, then highlight the objective of your call and explain that you highly value the information he or she provides. After that, you move on to specific questions such as “How were the candidate’s contributions to ABC Company? Did he/she have any clashes with colleagues? How did he/she overcome them?” Asking direct questions will get you the information you really want and make it easier for the referees to answer you.
Being polite and courteous
Though sometimes the referee may answer your questions superficially or even curtly since he or she is busy, you shouldn’t be rude. You should always be polite and courteous when talking with a referee, especially smile at the right time to make the conversation natural and warm.
It takes a lot of time, effort and cost to hire, train and develop new employees. Therefore, it is essential to spend sufficient time on your hiring process, including the reference checking. You should consider that amount of time as an investment rather than costs. This will certainly be a wise investment to help ensure your company’s sustainable growth!
