Changes in Conducting Reference Checks Over the Past Five Years

Changes in Conducting Reference Checks Over the Past Five Years

Reference checking is a crucial process in an employment exercise. The process is particularly important given the falsehoods that candidates may present while seeking employment. Job applications and resumes contain falsehoods that may range from small exaggerations to total lies. To that end, recruiters require effective reference-checking mechanisms to select the best candidates for employment. Over the past five years, the use of internet recruiting has increased significantly, and so has the use of the Internet in reference checking.

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One of the noticeable changes in reference checking is the use of social media networking sites to gain more insights about an applicant’s information. Social media networks provide more accurate insights about an applicant than physical questioning (Slovensky & Ross, 2012). To that end, a ten-minute combing through an applicant’s social media profile will provide more significant information than what traditional methods can offer. Also, social media helps recruiters corroborate information provided by a candidates in their job applications or resumes (Slovensky & Ross, 2012). For instance, if a candidate claims that they are tolerant of diversity, a quick check on their Facebook profile may reveal if this is true or not. If recruiters find posts or comments that suggest intolerance, then one can conclude that such candidates are not tolerant of diversity. To avoid biases, most employers separate the one who searches for social media information from the final decision maker. This ensures that the ultimate recruitment decision is not influenced by other biases such as race, religion, and political affiliation. With the increased usage of the internet usage, more people are getting into social media, which recruiters will use as a reference tool.

Another significant revolution in reference checking is the introduction of automation in the process. Automated reference checking involves the use of software to check a candidate’s information from the references they have interacted with previously. Among others, automated reference checking involves inquiring about re-hire data, performance information, and other qualitative insights from former and current employers (Hedricks et al., 2013). The Internet has played a huge role in facilitating automated reference checking by enabling web-based reference checking, which draws information from multiple online sources.

One of the advantages offered by automated reference checking is time efficiency. Unlike traditional reference checking, which could take days, all a recruiter has to do in automated referencing is send an email link to a potential candidate. Once the candidate receives the link, they can share a survey questionnaire with their preferred references, and the process may only take a few minutes to produce a complete reference. Another advantage associated with automated referencing is that it offers a recruiter multiple insights about a candidate (Hendricks et al., 2013). As a result, automated reference checking can offer a recruiter up to ten different references for a single candidate, hence giving the recruiter a rich perspective about candidates. Therefore, the Internet has played a huge role in facilitating automatic reference checking, which goes a long way in ensuring that recruiters get quick and accurate information.

Moreover, the Internet has opened more ways of getting a candidate’s background information. Apart from the social media platforms that offer rich information about candidates, as mentioned earlier, the Internet also enables recruiters to access more information online (Reicher, 2013). For instance, a simple Google search of a candidate’s name will provide their personal information, their current place of work, and other useful employment information. That is possible, especially if the candidate is a top executive who has served in large organizations. As a matter of fact, tech-savvy recruiters do not have to pay anything to access information online since they have ways to navigate any stumbling blocks along the way. Therefore, with the Internet, recruiters can access rich information about their candidates’ backgrounds, which can form the basis of hiring decisions.

Another change in reference checking facilitated by the Internet is that it has allowed compliant ‘backdoor’ references. Legal standards guide reference checking, including where a candidate has expressly requested that a specific reference not be contacted (Moon, 2018). Besides, recruiters are prohibited from seeking information from the candidate’s current employer unless the candidate offers express permission for that to happen. However, with the Internet, a recruiter may share a referral link with other ‘backdoor’ references unless the candidate has expressly barred them from doing so.

In summary, reference checking is important in any recruitment exercise because it offers the employer more insights about a candidate. Since some candidates lie in their job applications and resumes, reference checking helps verify this information. With the adoption of the Internet in recruitment processes, reference checking has experienced notable changes directly linked with Internet capabilities. Some of these changes include the adoption of social media as a reference verification tool and the introduction of automated reference checking. Also, compliant ‘backdoor’ referencing is now possible due to internet capabilities that allow recruiters to share a questionnaire survey with other contacts. Overall, adopting the Internet has revolutionized reference checks by introducing speed and accuracy.

References

Hedricks, C. A., Robie, C., & Oswald, F. L. (2013). Web‐based multisource reference checking: An investigation of psychometric integrity and applied benefits. International Journal of Selection and Assessment, 21(1), 99-110.

Moon, M. Y. (2018). Undisclosed off-list reference checks: Violating the human to manage the resource. Ephemera: Theory & politics in organization, 18(2).

Reicher, A. (2013). The background of our being: Internet background checks in the hiring process. Berkeley Tech. LJ, 28, 115.

Slovensky, R., & Ross, W. H. (2012). Should human resource managers use social media to screen job applicants? Managerial and legal issues in the USA. info, 14(1), 55-69.

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Unit 2 Pre-Assessment: Conduct Reference Checks
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File Unit 2 Pre-Assessment.pdf Unit 2 Pre-Assessment.pdf – Alternative Formats (131.955 KB)
Due: Sunday by 11:59 pm
Over the last five to ten years, the use of the Internet has dramatically increased. HR professionals needed to revise the recruitment/selection process to utilize the new technology while creating significant exposure to violating many employment-related laws. In addition, the use of the Internet has altered the way recruiters/managers conduct reference checks for potential candidates.

Changes in Conducting Reference Checks Over the Past Five Years

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Note: You must complete the pre-assessment first. Any journals posted before a pre-assessment is completed will not be graded until the pre-assessment is posted.