Referencing Candidates - A Critical Yet Often Forgotten Art

Referencing Candidates – A Critical Yet Often Forgotten Art

Although recruitment processes are supposed to sort the wheat from the chaff, it will always be the case that some interviewees come across exceptionally well, while others struggle to give a fair account of themselves. Referencing is one of the most effective ways of getting a picture of a prospective employee’s likely cultural fit and to affirm (or otherwise) the impression of their skills and experience that comes from their CV and interviews.

However, referencing has fallen out of favour. To do it well not only requires time but also skill and experience. There is no doubt that, even with assurances of confidentiality, it is more difficult to persuade people to talk candidly about current and past colleagues than it was 20 years ago.

The flip side is that appointing the wrong candidate can be a damaging, time consuming and expensive mistake. Furthermore, many of the candidates who get edgy about colleagues discovering they are being considered for another role are not serious about moving roles in any case.

If you approach referencing in the right way however the upsides outweigh the downsides. Here are some suggestions that may help:

• Don’t rely on the references the candidate provides– candidates will naturally want to provide the strongest impression they can and so will cherry pick the names they give you. Instead identify your own targets.
• Use your network and LinkedIn to identify potential references– the procurement and supply chain aspect of the construction industry is fairly niche and it is generally possible to quickly identify the colleagues of applicants who will know what that individual is like to work for, alongside and above.
• Manage prospective candidates– the idea of a prospective employer (or a recruiter) calling a candidate’s contacts can make them (understandably) nervous about engaging with a process. Where possible I like to be upfront with candidates and explain that we often vet candidates by discreetly calling colleagues.
• Plan your referencing calls– you will often only get one shot with each reference so make sure you have planned the call. With a carefully prepared call script, the reference can be used to better understand the candidate’s likely cultural fit, assess their management style, get a third party insight into their achievements etc.

One bad hire can quickly become very disruptive to a team reducing morale, creativity, communication and productivity as well as sowing the seeds of mistrust and division. That extra bit of research can make all the difference.