The value of in-depth professional personal references

At DSML Executive Search, we are fond of technology when it brings value to our clients or to candidates. Recently, I have seen the emergence of new services that aim at automating the process of checking the references of candidates. I understand that this can be useful in the context of volume recruiting but in the case of Executive Search, I have my doubts.

I have summarized why I value in-depth professional personal references:

·??????The process to collect the references brings value in itself

I strongly believe that details matter when it comes to recruiting executives: how fast a candidate is providing a list of references, how well it matches what was asked are interesting indicators of someone’s disposition (If I ask for at least two previous managers and the candidate provides none with no explanation, this is not necessarily a good reflection of their mode of operation). ?

Each individual situation can present different challenges: for example, someone has spent the last 8 or 10 years in the same company and may not be able to provide a recent manager. I perfectly understand this type of situation, but it is interesting to see how different candidates approach a similar challenge and it speaks a lot to someone’s personality.

·??????The direct conversation with the references provides high quality information that can strengthen the evaluation of candidates

Nothing replaces a direct conversation with a reference, be it a previous manager, co-worker, client or someone who reported to the candidate. The enthusiasm of the person, the richness of what they have to say, the examples they may provide, their proactivity in addressing the various skills of the individual participate in complementing the portrait of a candidate. These are all subtleties that cannot be captured by automated systems.

The consistency of the information collected when speaking directly to various references also helps confirming – or not, the evaluation of a candidate.

In person references can include specific questions a client wants to ask of a candidate.

·??????The active listening can also provide information about what is implied and not said

By engaging in a conversation with the reference and actively listening, an experienced recruiter can capture useful feedback: maybe someone is only using very generic and bland terms to describe the candidate; or the person is avoiding discussing certain topics or skills, even when asked specifically about it.

·??????The direct conversation can also offer valuable advice to properly on-board and manage a candidate

When speaking to a previous manager and asking what their advice to the “next” manager would be, the information can be very useful to prepare a better on-boarding and focus on what works best when managing the candidate.

For example, if a previous manager says “make sure you establish clear priorities so that X is not overloaded and does not try to do too much at the same time” it is valuable information for the future manager to provide adequate coaching. Or if a previous manager says “you need to regularly challenge X with new goals otherwise he/she can get bored and less motivated” that creates ground for another type of management.

Professional references are not 100% fireproof and there will always be cases where very good references led to an unsuccessful hire. Nevertheless, when done with care and adequate questions that are tailored to the role, in-depth direct conversations with professional references are an extremely important tool when recruiting executives.

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