It's Time to Stop Checking References

Job seekers know this part of the interview process all too well: The reference check.

A company will put a candidate through an arduous interview process including multiple site visits, multiple meetings and possibly phone calls. All is looking positive and then HR sends the e-mail to the candidate asking for references. While a good number of companies have moved away from this practice, why are we largely still doing this?

We have all been through an interview process at some point in our careers and most of us have been asked to provide references. Did you ever provide a reference of someone whom you thought would likely speak poorly about your performance and character? If you thought that they might have some negative things to say, did you reach out to that reference and kindly ask that they only say nice things?

Have you as a hiring manager or HR person ever taken a bad reference? If so, what percentage of the references you have ever taken have resulted in you not hiring someone? I would venture to guess, based on my own experience taking hundreds of references in my career that the answers to those two questions are close to zero.

So, why then do organizations still insist on making reference checks a standard procedure? It is a futile exercise. It is understandable that one would want to feel comfortable in their decision to hire someone by speaking with a person who managed or worked closely with a potential hire previously. But, why are you questioning your decision and looking for validation? You interviewed someone (as well as many others), asked them the pertinent questions relative to the job at hand and your company's culture, and now you are potentially going to stifle the momentum and excitement by letting someone outside your company give an opinion.

People have different experiences at different companies. Just because a person performed mediocre in one environment does not mean they cannot excel in yours. There are many other ways to determine fit and future success during the interview process outside of references. Behavioral and situational based questioning, asking for use of examples, job history, gaps in employment, resignations versus terminations, etc. are all far better ways to make your own judgement.

Remember, that person you are referencing has no allegiance to you and in all likelihood does not know you or have any interest in your organization. Their allegiance will more likely lie with the candidate you are interviewing since they know them, potentially empathize with their job search and have built a relationship of some level with that person.

Spend time standardizing your interview process so that the right questions are being asked and candidates are being vetted thoroughly and effectively. If you have a good feeling about someone, go with it. You have that feeling for a reason. They have worked hard to give you that good feeling and will probably work hard to keep that feeling going.

Sometimes a hire won't work out and this is normal. However, references are not going to minimize your turnover. Effective interviewing, smart hiring, competitive pay, strong culture and staff development programs are what's going to keep people with you, working hard and will attract top, retainable talent to your organization. Save yourself time in the competitive hiring environment by taking a leap of faith and making an offer quickly and acting on your intuition.

Let me know if you agree or disagree in the comments below.