You screened resumes. Conducted interviews. Asked in-depth questions. But, as one of South Florida’s leading staffing services firms, Future Force knows if you’re not also conducting reference checks, you’re at risk for a big hiring mistake.
And, despite what you might think, checking references isn’t as hard as it sounds. Here are 4 tips to follow so you can make the process as painless as possible, while also ensuring you make smart hiring decisions:
Conduct at least two reference checks, preferably three.
Some candidates look great on paper and perform well in an interview, but fall apart once on the job. Conducting thorough and effective reference checks – with at least two sources – is an effective way to avoid this happening at your company. You’ll either confirm a candidate’s background and experience, or you’ll identify inconsistencies. Either way, you’ll get the insight you need to make the best hiring decision.
Speak with direct managers.
Some candidates will give you personal references, or references from co-workers. But it’s important to have references from former direct managers. If a candidate is hesitant to give you them, then it’s a sign they’re hiding something.
Think ahead about the questions you ask.
Just like you wouldn’t walk into an interview with a candidate unprepared, don’t call a reference without thoroughly preparing first. That means thinking through your questions ahead of time and the kind of information you’re trying to solicit. You might just be trying to get a general sense about a candidate’s performance, or you may need to uncover more details about a specific skill set. Just make sure you craft your questions accordingly ahead of time.
Regardless of your specific needs, one area to always ask about is if the manager would hire the candidate again. Whether they respond with enthusiasm or silence will speak volumes to you.
Take notes throughout your conversation.
Make sure you take detailed notes throughout your conversation. This will help you to compare comments across references once you’re done checking them to verify consistency. Plus, you may need to refer to a specific comment in the future, which is why it’s important to write everything down.
Reference checking doesn’t have to be a time-consuming process. Just follow the tips above and you can conduct them with ease and efficiency – and have more peace of mind about your hiring decisions.
Need more help sourcing candidates, checking references, and hiring top candidates? Call Future Force. As one of South Florida’s leading staffing services firms, we can handle the process for you, so you can focus on other priorities while still getting great candidates. Contact Future Force today to learn more.