The Importance of Professional Reference Evaluations in the Hiring Process

There is the assumption that the most vital component of the Hiring Process is Identifying Prospective Candidates.

It is my experience that the most important aspect of the Hiring Process is completing a thorough Professional Reference Evaluation of prospective candidates.

Professional Reference Evaluations are of such high importance that The Westview Associates directs hiring clients not to interview a candidate until the candidate’s Professional Reference Evaluation has been completed.

Strategically executed Professional Reference Evaluations validate the candidate's Professional Accomplishments, Technical Skills, and Interpersonal Skills. In essence, Professional Reference Evaluations substantiate that a candidate is;

• An Ideal Candidate,
• A candidate with issues that need to be addressed, or
• Not worth considering for the stated position.

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What is a Professional Reference Evaluation?

A Professional Reference Evaluation is the outcome of strategic networking conversations with individuals who have observed and can provide direct experiences from professionally interacting with the Candidate. ?Reference Evaluations need to come from a series of individuals who can collectively provide a “360-degree” (Superior, Peer, and Subordinate) assessment of the candidate's Professional, Interpersonal, and Technical Skills. The interaction with the candidate’s references is conducted through a series of similar open questions that reveal in-depth information that supports or diminishes the candidate's appropriateness for the hiring organization.

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?Why is the Professional Reference Evaluation an Important Part of the Hiring Process?

Strategically designed and professionally administered Reference Evaluations allow professionals who have worked closely with the candidate to share their professional observations and experiences with the candidate. Information that is provided during the Reference Evaluation reveals how the candidate will perform in completing the required tasks of the hiring organization. If the candidate possesses each of the technical attributes that the position requires, yet does not “shine” during the Reference Evaluation, the candidate most likely should not be considered for the stated position.?

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What if the Person Providing the Candidate’s Professional Reference is not Cooperating or is Being Evasive?

Non-cooperation and evasive responses may indicate that individual’s derogatory opinion of the candidate. Continuing to interview additional individuals will determine if others have a similar opinion of the candidate. Informing the candidate of the generalized outcome of speaking with an uncooperative individual will provide direction if the individual is conveying an accurate indication of the candidate or is an outlier and should be replaced with a more cooperating subject.

Professional References that are not agreeable to having a professional networking conversation about the candidate should be replaced by a cooperating individual.

Professional Reference Evaluations that are strategically administered as a networking conversation with open-ended questions that target the hiring needs and operating culture of the hiring organization, become useful tools in determining if the candidate will become a Longer Tenured and More Productive Employee.

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Ernie Russom is the Executive Director of the Retained and Dedicated Executive Search Firm The Westview Associates. Enhancing the ROI of the hiring process through a proprietary methodology that provides longer-tenured and more productive employees.