SmartPulse — our weekly reader poll in Smartbrief on Workforce — tracks feedback from leading managers and HR practitioners. We run the poll question each Wednesday in our e-newsletter.
Last week, we asked: Do you check candidate references as part of the hiring process?
- Yes, 81%
- Sometimes, 13%
- No, 6%
I don’t know if there is a way to drill down into companies that say they check references but do them simply as a token gesture. I’ve been at companies where references were seen as a hurdle rather than a tool, and it definitely changed the way they were done. So while I commend those 81% for doing the right thing, I’ve got to ask: are they doing anything for you or are you just doing it because it is an expectation?
Lance Haun is community director for ERE.net, the main guy over at Rehaul.com and a member of the SmartBrief on Workforce Advisory Board.