Many companies don’t even attempt reference checks anymore. They don’t believe you can get any valuable information on a candidate because former employers aren’t willing to risk the legal implications of giving a reference.
The strategy suggested below puts the onus on the candidate to arrange the reference calls.
It’s a bit unorthodox for sure. But asking a candidate to set up a conversation between you and a former employer gives you all kinds of information before you even get on a call.
Top performers will gladly arrange the calls because they know their former managers will be positive yet honest about their qualities.
And their former manager will be much more likely to sing their praises to you when the candidate personally requested they speak to you. Suddenly their hands aren’t tied anymore because the candidate made the request.
Bottom performers will squirm, cringe and make excuses as to why they can’t possibly set up these phone calls because they know they can’t go back to their former managers and request a positive reference.
Think of it from this perspective – don’t you have managers from past jobs who would be happy to speak for you because of your past performance? And so should any candidate you are seriously considering.
Once you have the former manager on the phone, remember you get one shot at getting the information you need. So make sure you have thought through the questions you want to ask the reference.
~The DISC Wizard
P.S. For a step-by-step “Getting Great References” process to elicit the information you need to make the best decision, call us at (888) 347-2949 or email info[at]discwizardonline[dot]com and we will share our process with you.
