Recruiting and selecting talent is one of the most delicate tasks for company managers.
Among the tools at their disposal for successful recruitment, reference taking can represent a key step in the final evaluation of a candidate. However, it is all too often neglected or, in some cases, outright ignored.
Faced with a job market that has evolved in recent months, bringing a better balance between supply and demand, and the significant costs of poor recruitment, can companies really afford to neglect their decision-making process?
Our talent acquisition experts believe that a well-executed reference check often represents real added value in a recruitment and talent hunting process.
In order to restore the reputation of reference taking, we’re sharing some arguments to encourage you to systematically integrate it into your recruitment practices, and how to make it a key tool you can no longer do without.
Why Is Reference Taking Essential?
A well-executed reference check gives you a valuable outside perspective on the person you’re about to hire.
In concrete terms, reference taking allows :
- obtain relevant details about performance, behavior or skills;
- confirm information shared by the candidate;
- further enrich the assessment of the person you’re meeting, as reference-taking is complementary to other means (more on this below, in the section “Complementary tools for reference-taking”). Tools that complement reference-taking).
To illustrate the impact of good reference-taking, let’s think of an everyday situation: choosing a hotel for your next trip. The photos posted on the hotel’s website may make you dream, but there’s nothing like the opinions of travelers who have already stayed there to guide you in your decision!
It’s the same with reference-taking, which allows you to see see beyond appearance to assess the person in front of you.
Best Practices In Reference Taking
- Written authorization from from the candidateincluding the names and contact details of persons he or she authorizes you to contact;
- Contact only with specified persons only;
- What may be asked: questions about job performance, goal attainment, reasons for leaving, interpersonal skills and dates of employment;
- What cannot be personal questions (personal life, marital or family status, physical or mental health) and any discriminatory subject;
- Never call call former employers you know personally without permission.
Prepare To Take References At The Interview Stage
Right from the first interview, it’s a good idea to prepare the candidate to take references, so that he or she can start thinking about potential contacts.
A person who is actively seeking employment will inevitably share the same references with several employers. It’s therefore important for the candidate not to abuse access to certain people, so that taking references becomes an irritant for them and, unfortunately, a hindrance for you in gathering essential information.
Here are our recommendations to prepare the candidate for the reference stage:
- Advise the candidate to contact referrals to announce the recruiter’s or employer’s approach and encourage their collaboration;
- Explain why you are taking references and what you want to validate, so that you can optimize integration and support when you take up a new position;
- Emphasize the hierarchical level of contacts required (immediate superior, human resources, accounting, etc.) and the number of contacts requested (around 2 or 3).
The interview is also a key moment for the employer or recruiter to ask questions that will greatly influence the choice of references.
To properly assess which references to obtainwe suggest asking the following questions:
- Who was your immediate superior and what was his or her job title?
The main objective: to find out the name of your immediate superior.
- Over what period of time was he your immediate superior?
The main objective: to assess the value of the relationship.
- If I had to communicate with him, how would he describe you?
The main objective: to assess the relationship with the immediate superior AND to see the candidate’s reaction (verbal and non-verbal language) to the idea that you wanted to communicate with him!
The answers you get will help you decide which references to ask for to validate your impressions.
It’s important to remember that with these questions, YOU take control of the reference-taking process, not the other way around. Otherwise, the list of references proposed by the candidate is likely to contain people who have nothing but good things to say about him or her!
And that’s THE main reason why, over time, employers have moved away from taking references.
Complementary Tools For Reference Taking
- The Atman psychometric tests which provide a more detailed portrait of the person and will support you in integrating and developing the skills of your carefully selected resource;
- Validation of linguistic and technological skills (software);
- Diploma validation;
- Criminal record check;
- Credit report check.
In Conclusion
The ultimate aim of reference taking is to provide additional information – sometimes decisive – for making an informed decision.
As mentioned above, we strongly suggest that you use references as a key tool in your recruitment process, always respecting good practice and the laws governing candidates’ rights (e.g. the right not to provide the name of a reference requested by the employer).
Would you like to put these tips into practice the next time you take on a reference?
Our team is equipped to help you select the resources that will help you achieve your objectives, and to offer you different types of audit.
Éric Mercier, Director Talent Acquisition
MBA
