Hiring the right person for your business is all about mindset … Your mindset! Too often, managers and business owners are so anxious to fill a position, they downplay the risks of making a mistake.
One of the most significant risks is the loss of productive hours required to manage the “wrong” person. Another is the difficulty in removing a bad hire from your business.
So what can you do?
Reference checking is a valuable tool to help you ascertain whether a candidate is the right fit for your business.
Here are my top 5 tips for conducting effective reference checks.
1. Prepare a list of questions
1. Prepare a list of questions
Just like in the interview, you should have a list of questions you want to ask all referees. This ensures candidates are assessed equally. Use open-ended questions like “describe”, “explain”, “can you give an example of” so you can gain a comprehensive picture of what it’s like to work with the candidate.
2. Be transparent about reference checking
2. Be transparent about reference checking
At the end of all interviews, advise candidates you will be conducting reference checks on all shortlisted candidates.
3. Check the credibility of the referee
3. Check the credibility of the referee
One of the first things you should ask a referee is their relationship to the candidate. Ideally you want to be speaking to a past manager, employer or client rather than a family member or friend. After all, you want to know how the candidate performs at work – not how much fun they are on the weekends.
4. Look for patterns
4. Look for patterns
Take the time to speak to 2 different referees for each candidate. This will give you an opportunity to see if there are patterns of behaviour or performance trends (good and bad) that could influence your decision.
5. Consider contacting a past employer
Even if a past employer isn’t on the candidate’s list of referees, you are entitled to contact that person. Due to employee privacy regulations, a past employer may not be able to disclose some information about the candidate without their consent. However, you will be able to verify when the candidate worked there and (possibly) if the employer was relieved or disappointed when the candidate resigned from their employment.
Shortcuts can be costly!
Shortcuts can be costly!
When it comes to hiring the right person for your business, there are no shortcuts or instant fixes.
The process takes time so you need to consider the recruitment process as an investment in your business with long-term benefits if you get it right.
The team at End2End Business Solutions are experienced recruiters with the skills to help you identify the best new hire for your business. To discuss how they can help you find the right candidate, call the End2End team on 02 8977 4002.