Reference checking can be tedious and time-consuming, but it's worth every minute to verify a candidate's background. And if the employee will report directly to you, check the references yourself (at least the most important ones). The fact is, according to studies on the subject, that 30 percent of all job seekers lie on their resume, not including lies of omission. That a candidate in whom you are interested has stretched the truth a bit doesn't necessarily mean you should rule out that person out for the job, but it does pay for you to know to what extent embellishment has been practiced, and in what areas.
- Also, use the networking approach to check references. References provided by the candidate may not be your best source of information, because the candidate would not have given them to you if he or she weren't confident of a good one. Use those references to build a network of other people with whom you can speak, and follow up every lead.
- If you are filling a really important job and have narrowed down your choice to one or two people, try to check some of the references in person. A face-to-face meeting is always a better way to elicit information. It also allows you to read facial expressions and body language that might say more than words about the person's reaction to the candidate. The next best way is to use the telephone. An ineffective way of going after a reference is by mail. The worst way would be to rely on a reference handed to you by the candidate. People are reluctant in these litigious days to say anything bad about somebody in writing.
- Don't hesitate to use a private investigatory service when important jobs in your department are being filled. Good ones are around. Some services specialize in checking candidates' educational background. Others deal in broader background checks. Obviously it will cost your company some money, but not nearly so much as bringing the wrong person into your organization.
- Don't stop with one or two favorable references. Bear these statistics in mind, which came from a study we conducted on the subject of references: while 72 percent of top management indicated that it was prepared to give a candid reference in person, and a roughly equal number (75 percent) said they expected candid references, only 43 percent of personnel man-agers indicated that they were prepared to give a candid reference, compared to 65 percent who said they expected candid references. Add these numbers to another of my studies that reveals that even your best friends can't be counted on to give you a candid reference. You can see that there are good reasons for digging long and deep into a candidate's background.
- An applicant should be informed that all references will be checked. A nice way to do this without sounding threatening is to suggest that the candidate check your company's references, too. This puts you on an equal footing and, at the same time, plants a useful suggestion in the candidate's mind. Job candidates should check companies with the same diligence as companies check candidates. (If the applicant is currently employed, an offer can be made subject to a satisfactory reference.)
The entire process of reference checking and its importance to American business has occupied a great deal of my thought over the past several years. One of the results is my booklet, "How to Check References When References Are Hard to Check." It is free and is available to the business public through local Robert Half franchised offices so long as the supply holds out. Malcolm Forbes, whom I quoted earlier in the book, has this to say about the booklet: "In our present suit-happy society, checking references for the real meaning is as difficult an art as writing them. No service booklet could be, to me, more valuable-invaluable is more like it-than Robert Half's 'How to Check References When References Are Hard to Check.' "
I echo Mr. Forbes's feelings about reference checking, and can only urge you, as you grapple with the many difficult aspects of managing, to be sure that reference checking is an important part of your hiring procedure.
