After being unhappy with our office cleaning service
for longer than I should have, I finally took action to
replace them. Finding alternative vendors wasn't the
challenge. Finding one that I thought would make me
happy was!
At the end of the process, naturally, came
the all-important reference check. Now, you know
that any cleaning service is only going to give you
their happiest customers as a reference, right?
It's much the same when hiring a new employee.
Reference names given tend to be real supporters of
the candidate and probably won't say anything
negative. So, how can you get valuable information
about your potential employee? It's real simple.
There are just TWO things you have to
remember when checking references
Talk to the Right People
Ask the Right Questions
TALK TO THE
RIGHT PEOPLE
Make sure that your final candidates give you the
kind of references that you need. Be specific with the
candidate about whom you want to speak with.
Here's what we request from candidates as a
reference:
- Two former bosses or managers
— Be sure you speak with someone who has
managed your candidate. They will be a good guide
to how the candidate responds to motivation, work
ethic, etc. (more about that later).
- A customer — This is especially
important when hiring a salesperson. You want to
see how your candidate comes across to prospects
and customers. Top salespeople will be happy to
give you a customer reference. They are proud of
their accomplishments and many times these
relationships last long after the sale is made.
- A peer — This is not as important
as the manager or customer, but a peer can give you
valuable insight as to how your potential employee
works in a team environment. And, even though you
may be hiring an individual contributor who may be
in a remote office, remember that she has to fit in with
the rest of your team. This type of reference is
especially important when you are hiring in a
marketing department, for example, where one
person's work directly correlates to another's and
meeting deadlines may depend on close
cooperation.
If a candidate cannot give you three business
references (especially a candidate who has been
working for more than five years), you have reason to
be suspicious. And, as a rule, we accept no
personal references.
ASK THE RIGHT
QUESTIONS
Years ago (longer than I care to admit!) when I
started my sales career, one of the best managers I
ever had told me, "Ask the right questions and
you'll get the right answers." This is not
only true
in selling; this is true in reference checking as well.
When I am called on as a reference, I am always
amazed at either how general the questions are (e.g.,
"So, how was Mary to manage?") or how irrelevant
they are (e.g., "Did you enjoy working with Mary?"). I
wish I was kidding about these. Bad questions
will get you bad answers.
Be more specific in your questions. Ask questions
like:
- How long have you known the candidate?
- Were you involved in the hiring process or did
you directly hire the candidate?
- Did they report to you directly or dotted line?
Please describe your relationship with the
candidate.
- Did the candidate consistently hit or miss
goals/quotas?
- Would you say the candidate made a substantial,
average, or below average contribution to the
organization? Please describe the reasons for your
answer.
- How well did the candidate perform under
stressful conditions, such as facing sales or project
deadlines?
- How well did the candidate deal with any
organizational or management changes that took
place or any customer sales or service issues?
- Were there any areas that the candidate excelled
in? Any particular strengths? Please be specific.
- Conversely, are there any areas that the
candidate could use improvement in? Any particular
weaknesses? Please be specific.
Remember too that keeping your reference check in
a conversational manner will boost the
quality of information shared. Be sure to take the
important step of establishing rapport with your
reference to make him feel comfortable about
sharing information with you.
After some phone calls getting answers to strategic
questions, I made my pick. The new cleaning service
has started and so far so good. Why, their references
were as glowing as my shining office!
