Reference Checks

Introduction

Reference checks are a technique used to gather information about a candidate from a third party. The goal is to verify details provided by the candidate, such as degrees or previous employment, and to get the opinion of someone who knows the candidate well. According to SRHM, reference checks are a common practice as a screening and selection tool for 92% of organizations in the US. It is frequently used for managerial and executive positions.

Critics

Reference checks may raise more concerns than other techniques about preventing biases, impartiality, and ethics. Especially when using AI, enforcing non-discriminatory practices can be more difficult.

Studies indicate that the most frequently requested opinion dimensions are personality, honesty, and social traits. Using factor analysis on 625 reference letters, a study identified 170 descriptive adjectives, which were then grouped into five factors: Cooperation-Consideration, Mental Agility, Dependability-Reliability, Urbanity, and Vigor. People who give referrals often follow social rules of tolerance and leniency. The expressions used by third parties when they want to indicate that the candidate is poorly qualified are very limited (like saying 'a good boy!'). The people providing references do not always know what is expected of them. The validity of predictions from reference checks is uniformly low. However, the best validity, while remaining low, is usually obtained by the candidates’ direct superior.

By calculating correlations based on information provided by several third parties for multiple candidates, a study was able to find strong correlations between the references given by the same third party for different candidates. The correlation of references on the same candidate across several third parties is not as strong, suggesting that referencing may reveal more about the third party than about the candidates.

Better results for reference checks can be achieved by structuring the search for information from third parties. By creating lists of behavior descriptions, a study obtained a validity of 0.64 between references and notations.

Using the Adaptive Profiles with Reference Checks

Having a candidate's adaptive profile available before conducting a reference check allows for guiding the information collected, gaining a clearer understanding of how the candidate achieved previous results, and asking more informed questions to the third party. Instead of depending on third parties' limited views of key personality characteristics, it helps gather information to better assess how the candidate will perform in the role.