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Vol 9, No 2, March 2010
Dear Hiring Manager:
While most won't admit it, some hiring managers view
the reference check as merely a technicality,
something to do in order to satisfy their HR department
or their managers. After all, what will they hear that will
make them change their minds on the candidate they
have selected? Probably nothing, truth be told. After
all, the references are predisposed to like your
candidate.
But a reference check is the golden
opportunity to learn even more about the person
you want to bring on board. You need to know how
they respond in situations and to management. Read
on to find out how you can make reference calls that
will actually help you uncover information that will
be valuable in the long term — not just for
hiring!
Betsy Harper
Managing Partner
Sales and Marketing Search
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Ask Me No Questions, I'll Tell You No Lies
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Last week I received two phone calls from women
who
once worked for me. In a fun coincidence, they
both
asked if I would provide a reference.
I was delighted to
oblige as they had done extremely well in
their jobs. One I hired myself and the other I had
inherited from another manager.
Within days I received both reference calls. One call
was made by the actual hiring manager and one from
a human resource manager.
Interestingly enough,
both calls started out the same way. "So, what do
you think of Mary?" (Name changed to protect the
innocent.) To such a general question, I almost didn't
know what to say. "What do I think of her about what?"
is what I really wanted to say. (But I didn't. I do try to
keep my sarcastic self in a box most of the time!)
"I think she's great," was my response. Then, there
was a long pause on the other end of the line.
I was having a little fun, but in both cases it was clear
there was no second question coming.
Don't Miss this
Golden Opportunity
The reference check is an ideal time to get a clear
picture of the person you are contemplating bringing
on board. But you can only do this when you have
a clear idea yourself of the kind of information you
want.
Here's a three-point checklist that will make your
reference calls easy, fun (in some cases) and always
VALUABLE!
- Ask if it's a good time to talk.
References can be busy people. You need at least
15–30 minutes minimum for a good reference
check. Refuse to get the "bum's rush." Get permission
that this is a good time or set a time to call back.
- Get full contact information.
Know
who you are talking to and what their functional role or
relationship is to the candidate. Are they a former
boss, peer, customer or personal reference?
- Have good questions.
Remember the
old saw, "If you do not ask the right questions, you
do not get the right answers." Here are some
specific questions:
- Did you hire this person?
- How long did they work for you?
- Were you responsible for their
performance
reviews?
- What was their most significant
contribution
during their time at your company?
- Describe the overall quality of their
work
performance.
- How well did they perform under
stressful
conditions, such as a sales or project deadline,
organizational changes or customer issues?
- Would you say they made a
substantial,
average or below-average contribution to the
organization?
- Were there any areas in which they
needed
improvement? Any particular weaknesses?
- Would you hire them again?
You get the idea. You can design your own
questionnaire based on what's important for you to
find out. I also like to include some ratings
(For example, you could ask, "On a 1–5 scale,
rate attention to detail, sales follow up, overall attitude,
etc.")
Remember, this is THE golden opportunity to get a
look at your ideal candidate and you don't want to
miss it. You'll be happy for the time you spent
when
you do a reference check that gives you such valuable
insight.
P.S. As for the two managers who called me, I decided
to make it less awkward for them and so I quickly
grabbed the reference check sheet that I use. I
covered all of the questions in a very conversational
way and they were both overwhelmed with the
information given, even more excited about their new
employees, and grateful that I spent the time
speaking with them.
If you'd like a copy of the one-page reference
check sheet that we use, just hit "reply" and I'll be
happy to oblige!
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We're Bookworms!
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If you're in the mood for a serious subject done in a
lighthearted manner, The Geography of Bliss: One
Grumps Search for the Happiest Places in the
World, will fit the bill.
Author Eric Weiner travels to ten countries to find
out what makes their people the happiest or the
grumpiest. You'll be surprised (or maybe not!) to
find out who is happiest. I especially liked the young
American man who made Iceland (happy country) his
home and did a 180 degree change in his career. He
commented that he could never have done that in the
U.S. Surprised?
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