It doesn’t matter if you’re looking to hire engineers (or non-engineers) for startups (or for larger firms) so long as you aim to gain fairly illuminatory—or in the very least refreshing—feedback.
Coming up with a structured framework for reference engagement is the best way to achieve this objective.
Once on the call, fact checking is something you'll want to get out of the way quickly. There’s no need to cover this in great detail—just confirm their role, experience, dates, and some of the individual accomplishments they listed. It’s also a no-brainer to describe the role you have to see if their reference feels they can not only do it, but also enjoy excelling in the position. Yet rather than exploring some of these more common approaches, we are going to look at three broad categories—two that need to be revamped and one which is almost never mentioned.
For more insight, please see “Reference Calls: Who to Contact and What to Ask” from our Recruiter Academy.
If you still feel that reference checking is one of the best ways to screen candidates, here are some straightforward retakes on starting points:
Behavioral
This one is hotly debated. Some seasoned recruiters will argue that it’s best to drop behavioral questions for both the references and the candidate. The concern is that these questions can be faked or that they really don’t speak to underperformance issues. While this has some truth with respect to interviewing candidates, these questions are still fruitful tools when contacting a reference.
Cultural
This can be hard to figure out, particularly if your company culture is different that the candidates’ last few job experiences. Still, it’s important to measure some semblance of cultural fit so you have a clearer picture of how they’ll perform as a member of your team.
Problem-Solving
Of the three categories outlined here, problem-solving gets almost no time in the spotlight. This is rather bizarre considering this skill set is an integral necessity of daily life. Even if it’s not explicitly mentioned in a job description, it can never be undervalued. Think of problem-solving skills as a marriage of curiosity and imagination.
Unfortunately, reference calls can end up being a waste of time far too often. This is only a tentative outline to follow so you can get the most out of your recruiting process.
If anyone has any suggestions on how to learn more about candidates’ problem-solving skills—don’t hesitate to share.