We all love a peek behind the scenes. We enjoy learning how the movie was made, how the magic trick was done. It stands to reason, then, that when hiring, employers want to verify an applicant’s suitability for the role before spending the time, energy and money onboarding them.  

Pre-employment reference checks enable businesses to make informed hiring choices by providing insight into applicants’ modus operandi. Beyond finding a cultural fit, reference checks can protect a company from theft, fraud or reputational risk. A recent Accountemps survey revealed that after speaking with referees, senior managers cull 34% of candidates. These references were traditionally collected by phone, or sometimes by email, but that process can be incredibly time consuming.
 

As a remedy for the time-sink, digital reference checks are being taken up by increasing numbers of HR teams and recruiters to streamline reference collection. As well as saving employers’ time, they have additional benefits, like: 

• Standardised questions for a data-driven approach 
• Fraud alerts to identify suspicious activity 
• Downloadable reports for easy record-keeping 
• Automatic reminders for candidates and referees 
• The ability to complete the reference on any device 

In a SkillSurvey study of 300 professionals, 63% said running reference checks “helps them hire better employees”. A referee gives a real-world window into what the applicant is like to work with. Reference checks often include questions like: 

• Is the candidate experienced in the field?  
• Can they meet a deadline? 
• How do they contribute to a team? 
• Are they difficult to manage? 
• Do they have the skills for this job? 
• Were they lying on your resume? 
• Are they self-sufficient? 
• Do they have a history of inappropriate or fraudulent behaviour? 
  

With Vetting.com’s Advanced Reference Check, the questions can be customised and tailored to particular roles. You can also bundle them with a police check and assign both checks at once! With our bulk upload tool, that means you can assign a suite of checks to numerous candidates within a couple of minutes! 

Is it time for you to simplify your background screening process? Let us show you how easy it could be! Book a demo with Vetting.com today.  

Written by Mary Snowden.