You don’t want to start a relationship with a new employee based on lies. And yet, many business leaders are doing just that, unaware. Embellishing, omitting, or outright lying has become more common in the job application process – and is likely to increase as people get more desperate in a challenging economy.
One study found that over 64% of employees have lied about skills, experience, or references at least once. This number is up from 55% in 2022. Over half (56%) of the respondents say that the rising cost of living will make them more likely to lie on a resume in 2024 so that they can secure a better job.
Reference checking is a crucial part of the hiring process. It’s one of the only ways to confirm that your ideal candidate is, in fact, ideal. It’s important to collect feedback from real people who can speak to a candidate’s work history, demeanor, or skill set.
How do you know you can trust the references that your applicants share with you? After all, it’s in their best interest to impress you during the reference checking process, and for some people, that might include providing fake references. Here’s how you can spot them, as well as improve your process so that you can always do your due diligence effectively.
Spot Unusual Activity in Reference Checks
Fake references carry some heavy risks. No matter what position you are hiring for, ensuring that your new employee is capable of doing the job is hugely important. We’ve all experienced hiring someone who wasn’t the right fit – and it’s never good. The risks to your organization’s reputation and bottom line are very real. That’s why it’s important to trust the reference checks you conduct.
When it comes to reference checks, there are some key giveaways that may make you want to think twice before hiring the applicant.
Contact Information that Can’t be Verified
Is the information provided by the applicant accurate? If you cross-check by phone number, email address, or other details, you should feel better about the individual. If you cross-check but cannot confirm their contact information, that might be a red flag.
Lack of Detail
When speaking with the reference, ask detailed questions about the candidate’s work performance, duties, and achievements. A genuine reference will be able to provide specific information with real examples and details. If they cannot share their opinion on the day-to-day duties of the employee, it’s necessary to dig deeper.
Information that Doesn’t Match Candidate Responses
Make sure to jot down some notes during your interview process with the candidate. Then you can compare that information with the reference’s feedback. Look for consistency in the details both individuals provide. If there are major discrepancies, don’t be afraid to ask follow-up questions. This can point to a person who isn’t actually familiar with your candidate’s work at all.
Non-Credible Background
Research the reference’s background. Can you verify the connection between the candidate and their suggested reference? For example, a bio on a company website, or their name in a professional industry roster. Is there any proof that this individual would be familiar with the candidate’s work or character?
Hesitation or Evasiveness
Pay close attention to the reference’s tone. Do they seem hesitant or extra nervous? Is the conversation flowing naturally? Genuine references are normally happy to help with opportunities for their friends or colleagues (even if they might tire of the reference call process). If they aren’t happy to talk openly about the candidate, that could be a bad sign.
Instinct
If you are an experienced professional who has been in the industry for a while, chances are you’ve gone through this process before. Just trust your instincts. You know how people in the field talk, the usual nomenclature, and professional standards. Does the reference mirror these aspects? If not, you may wonder if they are new to this specific sector – or if they are an actual professional contact at all.
Use Credible Reference Checking Software for Peace of Mind
It’s important to avoid the cost, hassle, and potential risks that a bad hire can bring. That’s why fake references are especially troubling. You can circumvent a lot of the problems if you use reliable reference checking software rather than relying on traditional methods.
Automated reference checks are simple, fast, and effective. Here are some of the benefits you can experience by switching to a digital reference checking format.
Request References in 60 Seconds
A digital platform allows you to request references in under a minute. All you need to do is enter the contact’s information (such as email or mobile phone number), along with the number of references you would like, and leave the rest to Vitay. From there, Vitay will contact the references and collect the information, making the process so much simpler for everyone – the employer, candidate, and reference.
Collect More Feedback, Faster
The great thing about automated reference checking software is that you can request multiple references in a fraction of the time it would take you to carry out just one reference manually. With Vitay, you can source more candidate information in a much shorter timeframe and also get more reliable information.
Consider how long the process usually takes to collect three references. You would need to obtain these from your candidate, reach out to the individuals, schedule conversations, compare the information obtained for accuracy, etc. Vitay eliminates some of these steps and makes the rest of the process smooth and simple.
Fraud Detection
Some automated platforms have built-in technology that can help to point out suspicious activity. For example, Vitay has IP fraud detection within our software that alerts recruiters of fraudulent activities during the reference checking process. This provides an added layer of detection that doesn’t require additional effort from the HR team.
Get Candidate Analytics and Reports
Remember how we said you should compare reference information for credibility? A digital solution makes that much easier to do. With Vitay’s automated reference checks, you can receive and store feedback securely, view detailed multi-reference analytics, and export full reference reports to PDF with just one click. This makes it simple to analyze answers, share information with colleagues, and save everything in an easy-to-reach format – leading to a much lower degree of fake reference issues.
Candid Feedback for Better Validity
It’s been proven that digital communication makes people more truthful. That shouldn’t be too surprising: It’s much easier to be honest and candid when you aren’t speaking directly to another person.
This means you are more likely to get the genuine truth about a person’s performance using automated reference checking software than making traditional phone calls. Many professionals find that they are able to put more stock into the references they receive digitally than the ones they take over the phone.
Unfortunately, fake references are a real issue and one that can have disastrous impacts in any workforce setting. It’s important that HR leaders take the proper precautions to ensure the references they collect are authentic, honest, and helpful.
Using digital reference checking software is one of the best ways to not only streamline the process but ensure references are honest and accurate. Combine the time savings an automated solution offers with the added credibility, and you can see why so many forward-thinking organizations are turning to Vitay for smoother and more secure reference checking.
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