The JobSync Blog
Tips for Checking Job References
November 1, 2011
So, you’ve narrowed down your job selection process to two candidates. All that’s left is to check the references. All you need is clarity and honesty from the references. And all you want is that little bit of extra light shed on a candidate’s strengths, weaknesses, and potential that will make your final decision an easy and confident one.
We all know candidates will only list individuals whom they know will give a strong reference at best, or a tepid reference at worst, right? Not always. Many candidates recognize that any omission of an unhelpful, antagonistic boss at a previous position is a red flag and an open invitation by an observant hiring manager to actively seek out that prior boss for a perspective on a candidate. As a result, concerned candidates may list that less supportive individual at the bottom of their reference list. The hope is that if a candidate supplies three to five references, a hiring manager will most likely stop calling after speaking with the first two strong references. Which is why it is often helpful to start speaking with references from the bottom of the reference list, especially if those individuals were more recent employers of a candidate and these past positions are more relevant to the job you are offering.
Hiring managers expect gushing praise of candidates from their references. And references know most of the standard questions to expect from employers (e.g., “Can you outline the candidate’s job responsibilities when they worked for you?”/“How well does the candidate respond to pressure?”/etc.). To uncover a little more about a candidate, consider asking the less expected:
1. How would you characterize your management style? If your management style differs considerably from that of the reference, this will at least provide confirmation of the kind of management style that a candidate works well under
2. We are down to two candidates: Candidate A is XYZ. Why do you think your previous employee might be a better match for us than Candidate A? This will force a reference to think strategically about a candidate’s primary strengths
3. Would you rehire this candidate? With this question, listen carefully not for what is said but how it is said. This answer will help assert one way or the other why you should hire a candidate.
Keep these tips in mind the next time you’re in the final round of interviewing, and they just might give you confirmation you were hoping for. Don’t believe us? Check our references…
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