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Reference Checking

Reviewing This Week on Make HR Happen – Stories about Refs

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Proof that any topic can be seen from multiple perspectives, the subject of reference checking is almost a non-issue from most points of view. Many companies have replaced the obligatory personal reference check with bland outsourced background checks or mindless impersonal checkboxes. People clamor for online recognition while admitting that quid pro quo recommendations on LinkedIn and push-button endorsements don’t mean very much. Before we discard the entire concept of references, it is important to… Read More »Reviewing This Week on Make HR Happen – Stories about Refs

Giving Good Reference

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It is an uncomfortable moment of truth. Someone you know has asked to use your name as a reference for employment. If this is someone that has earned your endorsement it is still not an easy thing to do. If this is someone that you don’t know well enough to recommend it is not easy to say no. In spite of the temptation to always say yes and then offer lukewarm support, this does nothing… Read More »Giving Good Reference

Why and How to Create a Reference List

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All active job seekers should already know that they will eventually have to provide a list of references before being hired. This is not new news, but the majority of applicants show up for the interview totally clueless about how to fill out any form that has blank spaces for references. If there is any other sign that the candidate is not taking this seriously it would be forgetting to show up for the interview.… Read More »Why and How to Create a Reference List

Candidates and Hidden Skeletons in the Closet

In corporate hiring, spending time on a reference check is considered to be old school these days. At least that is the excuse usually used to skip this step in the hiring process. The process is often cumbersome, time consuming, and the results usually jaded. Larger companies hire third party investigators to do the dirty work because it is faster and less costly. Small companies find themselves mired in complex bureaucratic hiring processes and muddle… Read More »Candidates and Hidden Skeletons in the Closet