How to get a reference of preference

‘I am really sorry, I can only confirm his title and dates of employment. Company policy.’ How many times have you heard that excuse? An employer is not obliged to provide a reference for an employee, and conventional wisdom says that former employers won’t give references if they can avoid it. Managers whose own company policy on references resembles this view tend to avoid making these calls when they are hiring. Instead they try to fill the gaps by relying solely on recommendations from business associates or their ‘gut feeling’. But as a recruiter, you don’t need to lower your hiring standards as there are steps you can take to help you get the required assurance from a former employer: * Expect success. Get into the right frame of mind by reminding yourself of all the reasons why you are doing it. A thorough background check is the best way to discover falsified credentials, prevent a poor hire and avoid employee fraud. Having to recruit for the same position after just a short period of time is expensive and can be embarrassing. All it takes is one dishonest employee to expose your client (and even potentially the agency) to legal liabilities, financial loss, loss of reputation and even criminal involvement. * Get through the wall of silence. When people are comfortable, they talk. Determine what information is directly relevant to the position being filled and stick to the appropriate questions. It’s also worth noting that people are more willing to rate former employees on a scale of one to 10. If you are faced with the dreaded ‘company policy’ answer, try giving the referee the option of rating a candidate. Most people will respond to this – after all, it’s only a number. * Acknowledge the reason for their reluctance. This puts people at ease and they usually start talking. Say something like: “I know you can’t say anything, but if you could, what would you say?” or “If I was doing the reference checking for one of your candidates, you would want me to be as diligent as this with my calls.” Appeal to their sense of fairness. * Always ask if they would re-hire the employee. Most people will give you an answer to that. How do they say it? * Address the fear of litigation. Most referees are scared silly by the thought of being sued by their former employees. So they figure that the safest strategy is to not give any references at all. Try to dispel any myths surrounding the legal aspects of providing a reference. Laws in the UK protect the employer from a negligence action if the information provided is accurate, fair and balanced and does not mislead the recipient. To support your statement you may want to mention that the House of Lords commented (as part of a case) that an employer had “at least a moral duty to provide a reference”. As a last resort you may want to mention that withholding information which may have a negative impact on a new employer may expose them to a lawsuit. * Have a signed consent form from the candidate and volunteer to fax it to the referee. This will also help with any data protection issues that may arise during the vetting process. * Be creative. If all else fails, ask the referee if he or she can recommend other people who may be willing to provide a reference in their place. A manager who is no longer employed by the firm will most definitely be more open to your request. Clients or associates may also be a good source of information. However, remember to exercise caution: if the comments are not from the employee’s immediate supervisor, evaluate them carefully and corroborate any negative statements with other sources. Any individual reference may or may not mean anything. What you are looking for is a pattern. Finally, remember that in most cases, if the individual has done a good job, you will always get a go-ahead signal, even if it’s off the record.

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