Reference checking is often overlooked in a recruitment process. It’s a shame because some unpleasant surprises after employees had joined can be avoided if reference checking had been done.

The logic of reference checking is simple. To know someone thoroughly through a face-to-face interview is simply not possible. You only get to truly know someone when you work along side with him. In a way, it’s very much like dating and marriage. A lot of people only found out the true colors of their better half after marriage.

This revelation however does not negate the importance of using the right interview techniques to assess the suitability of the candidates but using reference checking as a tool would certainly help to complete the process.

A guide to reference checking

1.The best referee has to be someone that had worked with the candidate before, be it immediate supervisor or co-workers in the similar department or project. It is an interesting piece of information should the candidate choose not to give the names of his immediate boss. Always ask why.

2.Don’t listen to words spoken alone. Watch for pauses and evasive replies.

3.Besides finding out the date joined, date ended and the post held by the candidate in the company, the more important question to ask is an all-encompassing open-ended question such as, “We had interviewed Mr Ragu for the position of Technical Sales Engineer with our company. Since you have the experience of working with him in the past, what do you think of him for this job?

4.Have a list of other questions depending on the reply of the open-ended question. Some of the useful follow-up questions can be as follows:-

• Since Mr Ragu did well in that post, why didn’t you encourage him to stay?

• What is the most significant quality of Mr Ragu?

• What was the most meaningful contribution by Mr Ragu during his tenure with the company?

• What kind of job is best suited for Mr Ragu based on your knowledge of his abilities and experience working with him?

• How did his colleagues, clients and suppliers relate to Mr Ragu?

• What are some areas Mr Ragu is less effective?

5.Reference checking is asking the referee to do a favor. In order to get quality information, always be considerate of the person’s time and plan your questions in advance.

6.If possible, check with at least two referees. The information gathered should tell you the same story and if the opinions were in extreme contrast, that should lead you to do further checking.