Reference checking is an integral component in successfully recruiting the top talent to your organization, unfortunately this vital step is often not given due diligence.
Once you have identified candidates that match your requirements for a position, you have only done part of the job. You need a little extra effort to ensure you do not make a potentially disastrous mistake. Just imagine you want to buy a new car without first checking that you are actually getting what you are paying for.
Referencing checking is essentially a simple process that will not cost you much time and could potentially end up save you both time and money. When conducting a reference check you are looking for information that can not be found in a resume or obtained through interviewing.
Specific areas that should always be checked include:
• Recurring bad habits that would impede the candidate from making a positive contribution to your organization.
• Specific achievements that the candidate has claimed as their own that may have been a team effort or in some cases completely fabricated.
• Reasons for leaving previous companies.
• Salary history.
• Relationship with colleagues and superiors.
All this information can be easily obtained by making a few discrete telephone calls to the references supplied by the candidate. Another better way you can do is to contact people who have known well the candidate due to a long work relationship with him in the past. The information they provide may reveal many interesting aspects about the candidate that you can hardly get from references supplied by the candidate.
Obviously the importance of the position you are trying to fill will influence the depth of a reference check, but it is still important that you do not treat reference checks as a mere formality. Generally you will discover very little about a candidate’s past performance with a 2 – 3 minute conversation. Set aside at least 20 minutes and plan the call, have a list of questions that you are going to ask.
Here are some good questions you can ask the references:
1. How long have you known the candidate and what are his/her capabilities?
2. What are the candidates’ major strengths and weaknesses?
3. Would you kindly comment on the overall performance of the candidate. What were the candidates’ major achievements?
4. How well was the candidate’s relationship with his/her superiors, subordinates and peers?
5. What are the reasons of the candidate’s decision to change job at this time?
Remember to always thank the references for their time and assure them of the confidentiality of your discussion.
Sometimes, references are reluctant to give out negative information about the candidate and some companies even have official policies not to give out any information during the time the candidate is employed. Luckily this is still very rare in Viet Nam. By using a professional manner and speaking tactfully, you can make most references give you the information you are seeking.
Another important aspect of a thorough reference check is to speak to the most appropriate people. Ideally you want to speak to a superior who has worked closely with the candidate, a close peer and a subordinate who reported directly to the candidate. And obviously more recent references are more relevant than references dating back more than 10 years! Usually the last three companies a candidate worked for will be sufficient.
And finally, remember that the best guide to an employee’s performance in the future is their performance in the past.
