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Reference checks are garbage. But they don’t have to be a total waste of time.
If you use them for development purposes. Not hiring decisions.
And isn’t onboarding and training one of the biggest challenges we have in the all remote world?
The tldr on why reference checks are a pile:
👉Traditional: asking someone’s bff what the think of them is going to give you exactly what you’d expect. Glowing reviews, every single time.
Fun fact: every recruiter I know can think of exactly 1 bad reference they ever received. It’s uncanny.
👉Backdoor: not only does it violate privacy, but it places a ton of weight on your own friendships. Instead of business acumen.
And allows a tremendous amount of personal bias.
You have to figure out how to vet and who to hire by your own damn self.
So stop defaulting to pointless check-the-box discussions. Instead, use these reference convos to get the people you’re hiring up to speed as fast as possible.
Focus on questions like:
👉In what circumstances did they do their best work?
👉When did they make the biggest strides in their growth?
👉What would help this person succeed?
👉What management style do they respond well to?
👉How did they help you grow, and vice versa?
Full Clip of The 10 Minute Talent Rant (with Jeff Smith), Episode 28:
“Reference Checks Are Stupid” here.
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