Hiring staff is both a necessity and a challenge. The person applying is stressed out; the recruiter is bored of doing the same old job; HRs are losing their minds; everyone is having a hard time. Unfortunately, in the business world, recruiting is non-optional to fill those large departments. No machine works without cogs, right? But is there a way to make the experience worthwhile and pleasant?
Often, checking a new hire’s references is treated like a sterile clinical trial – automatic and without much thought put into it. Many experts argue that the reference check ran in recruiting campaigns is outdated and doesn’t benefit either party since it doesn’t bring much new information to the table. Many recruiters already know that they will hire someone, even if they have not personally checked the candidate’s references. However, along with asking the right questions when interviewing a job candidate, a one-on-one conversation with your new hire’s old managers or bosses could prove equally useful, potentially saving you a lot of trouble in the future. One job doesn’t fit every person. The goal of a recruiting campaign is to select adequate candidates that will fit nicely into your existing department structure.
Let’s take a look at a few tips and tricks that will allow you to conduct your next recruiting campaign with the peace of mind that you will land the perfect hire.
Make sure you are receiving the correct reference information
Now, don’t get us wrong. We don’t want to say that everyone lies on job interviews. However, there is a huge difference between the truth and the ‘part’ truth. It’s obvious that job candidates will want to put themselves in the best possible light to land the position. This involves embellishing personal qualities, overstating their impact at previous jobs, and other small indiscretions. The big problem comes in not submitting the correct reference phone number or email. It happens more often than you think.
It might sound like a joke, but 87% of employers believe that some job applicants have either lied on their resumes or submitted false reference information. For example, it’s not uncommon that an applicant will give recruiters their best mate’s number as a reference rather than mention their old manager’s cell number. There could be many reasons for this:
- The candidate didn’t get along with their old manager or boss and feels like their input would impact them negatively;
- The candidate did something bad at their old place of work and is embarrassed/afraid that the new employer will find out;
- The candidate has no previous work experience.
There are many other reasons, of course, but the number one reason a candidate lies about their references is out of embarrassment or lack of experience. Certainly not a crime that deserves the death penalty, but it could definitely cause problems for the company that hires such candidates.
The big question here is: how do you make sure that the reference information you’ve received is accurate? Luckily, there are a few things that recruiters can do to make sure they are contacting the right people.
- Ask for email addresses as well as phone numbers
Having access to emails and a phone number allows you to contact candidate references in two ways. While everyone can pretend to be anyone over the phone, most companies have specific banners and signatures embedded into every outgoing email. These details are hard to fake since every company has a different guidebook to how an official email should look like. Forging these details is a crime since these emails can be used as phishing scams.
- Ask the candidate to set up a conference call
If you have doubts over your potential hire, ask them to get in contact with their previous manager or boss over a conference call. The key here is that the candidate and the recruiter will be present in the same room, so it will be easy to judge whether the candidate is nervous or jittery. Some anxiety is normal, but if they seem reluctant to make the call or show signs of lying, there is probably something fishy going on.
- Call HR at the candidates’ old place of work
If all else fails, a call to the HR department will give you all the information that you need. Ask HR to give you the contact information of your candidate’s previous manager or boss; make sure you mention that this information is regarding recruiting only. Nobody can fake internal department numbers, so you can rest assured that you are talking to the correct person.
Ask the right questions to gather useful information
When you finally track down your candidate’s reference contact, whether over the phone or email, spend a few minutes to get in the right mood. At this point in the hiring process, the candidate will not be a part of the interview, so whatever is said between the recruiter and the reference contact remains between them. Explain who you are and where you work, mentioning that the candidate has provided this contact info as a reference. When beginning your conversation, it’s best that you have some kind of template on hand to help you stay focused and on track. It could be as simple as a list of questions written on a piece of paper or a Word document with points of interest.
Here are some sample questions that will help you gather useful information about the candidate:
- Did (Candidate Name) work at (Company name) from (Date) till (Date)?
This is a basic question that will let you determine whether your candidate has actually worked at the company before. If the answer is no, then they lied, and you might want to reconsider hiring them. If the answer is yes, then you at least know that they have previous experience.
- What was the reason they left? Did they leave on good terms?
The goal of this question is to determine whether there were any notable underlined reasons for their departure from a company. Most often than not, a candidate moves on whenever they feel like they are stagnating at a certain job. There is nothing wrong about that — quite the opposite, actually. There are situations, however, that cause people to leave preemptively. This scenario could range from mundane reasons such as low pay, lack of motivation to more serious motives such as problems with the authorities or inability to take direction. You need to know what this candidate will bring to your team: positive or negative contribution.
- Did (Candidate Name) operate within the scope of their employment?
The gist of this question is to understand if the candidate fulfilled their duties at their assigned position. Anything but yes should raise the alarm. If they didn’t fulfill their duties at their old job, what would stop them from slacking off at their new one? Good follow-up questions would be: ‘Why?’ or ‘In what way?’.
- Did (Candidate Name) take part in any activities outside their scope of employment?
An active employee who takes an interest in corporate management, employee training, and department functions is called proactive. Being proactive means that they take the initiative to make a positive change within something without being told to do it. Proactive employees are extremely valuable in practically any department.
- Did (Candidate Name) get along with managers and their co-workers?
Receiving a negative answer to this question doesn’t necessarily mean that the candidate isn’t fit for a position. There are many aspects to working in an office – pressure, anxiety, fear, rivalry. Perhaps the candidate wasn’t fit for the job in the first place and was constantly arguing with their managers and/or bosses because of the stress. Use the information that the reference gives you to determine whether they would be a good fit for the company.
- What was your personal opinion of (Candidate Name)?
This is perhaps the most important question you can ask a reference. Leaving a good lasting impression is vital in almost every aspect of a business company. What the candidate’s ex-manager or ex-boss has to say about their performance and attitude can speak volumes about their character.
On the other hand, nobody likes a teacher’s pet. Many employees will turn themselves into simple yes-men with no substance or character, saying one thing to someone’s face and then speaking behind their back. If you have a feeling that the reference has an inflated opinion regarding the candidate, it’s time to reconsider your standing on their employment.
- Is there anybody else that I should speak to?
As a closing question, try to gather more information on the candidate through other sources. The reference might suggest putting you into contact with other employees, HR staff, or even a manager from another department with whom the candidate had a close relationship. Remember, you don’t need to make a decision until you are comfortable. Gather as much information as possible before committing.
These questions should be enough to get additional information about the candidate. Of course, they may not prove useful in some narrow, specific situations — for example, when recruiting across cultures. However, while dealing with a local talent pool (and local employers), this list is usually enough to make an informed hiring decision.
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