Are Employee References Still Relevant? By Catherine Miklaus, GreenJobInterview
We’re in an age where recruiting has gone digital. As recruiting teams have embraced the digital resume on sites like LinkedIn, they’ve also begun to embrace digital references. One glance at a candidate’s LinkedIn profile will show whether their connections have reviewed them. In many cases, candidates are now featuring collections of reviews and endorsements almost as large as their network of connections. It seems like you’ve hit the jackpot when you find a candidate with 200 recommendations. But are these employee references still relevant in an age where businesses similarly obtain fake reviews? Beware the Bogus Employee References I have a buddy who really knows how to brand himself to employers. An engineer by trade, he has an impressive resume with an equally impressive list of employee references on LinkedIn. The problem is that almost none of these people have actually worked with him. If an employer were to dig a little deeper, they’d find out that most of his positions were only 6
months in length because he’s very hard to work with. So where are these references coming from? Friends and family, of course. Bogus employee references are not limited to candidates who fake their resumes. Wellmeaning friends, family, and even vendors offer recommendations on LinkedIn for a variety of reasons. In many cases, they’re looking to beef up their own profile. Many think that by offering favorable employee references they can also receive recommendations and endorsements in return. It’s the equivalent of trading Facebook likes. If I like you, will you like me in return?
Tweet This: 91% of employee references are positive and increasingly being faked. Are they still relevant?
Sifting Through the Noise of Employee References With many fake employee references out there, it’s important to sift through them to find what’s relevant. Many recruiters and hiring managers skip this step, but it can be an important way to distinguish between two seemingly great candidates. It will require a little sleuthing, though. Start by examining whether any of the connections who recommended the candidate actually worked with them. Then dig a little deeper; did that person work on their team or were they in a whole other department altogether? Is this endorsement or recommendation from a vendor, partner, or frequent customer? Is there any connection to their job at all? Another great way to sift through the noise of employee references is to give an attitudinal interview. Many top employers use video interviewing for this purpose. When there are multiple steps in the video interviewing process, an attitudinal interview is a great way to find out if these employee references are relevant. Many top employers like to give role play scenarios and ask the candidate to offer a solution. In other video interviews, some hiring managers will present the candidate with real work or software, asking probing questions on how to proceed. If a candidate isn’t entirely honest, these often expose the half-truths or exaggerations in their skill set. Because of the video medium, it’s also easier for employers to find out if this is a person who becomes rude and snippy when they’re frustrated or if they are calm and collected. The video interviewing process can be a much better way to obtain candidate information than employee references alone. Used together, it can be a powerful way for hiring managers to find the best candidate.