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Traditionally, when new hires are brought on board, one of the last steps in the hiring process is a time-consuming process that provides little value: picking up the phone and calling the candidate’s references. This process results in a lot of wasted time by recruiting professionals and very little value gained from reference check phone conversations. Some companies opt to abandon the reference check altogether, which poses risks. But there is a simple way to change this process into one of great speed, convenience, and value.
Data-rich digital reference checks
The modern strategy to take your process from a sluggish “check of the box” to a quick, easy, data-rich resource for better hiring is digital reference checking. With digital reference-checking software, such as Bullhorn’s integrated partner SkillSurvey, the reference-checking step can move up in the hiring process to shortly after the first interview. This allows you to get results early in the interview process and save time when placing candidates in jobs.
Save time with automation
The process of running a digital reference check is simple. Launch the reference check, and the candidate is sent an email or text and prompted to enter contact information for their references (the employer can set their required number). Those references are sent a job-specific survey in which they can rate the job candidate’s competencies based on their experiences. Response turnaround time is typically a day or two, which makes SkillSurvey 92% faster than checking references by phone. Moving away from chasing down references on the phone will be a welcome change for any recruiting team. Another perk of using SkillSurvey: using SkillSurvey in your hiring process results in a 35% decrease in turnover for cause in the first year of employment.
Greater visibility into past performance of job candidates
In the past, the content of many reference-check calls was little more than a confirmation that an employee worked at a particular company. With SkillSurvey Reference®, references are provided with a confidential survey and assurance that their individual feedback will not be revealed to the candidate. These surveys are tailored specifically to the job for which they are applying; for example, if a candidate is applying for an IT role, the references will be rating them on their competencies within an IT context. For a nursing role, the references will provide feedback on past performance by answering questions specific to communicating with patients, fellow healthcare workers, and other valuable healthcare-related skills.
These surveys are quick and easy to answer, and because they’re confidential, references can answer them more honestly than a traditional reference check. This dispels the myth that reference checks are simply glowing endorsements. For example, 83% of references provide feedback on a candidate’s areas of improvement, which is valuable insight for a hiring manager trying to decide which candidates to move forward with. Identifying issues before hiring is critical for companies – it eliminates problems such as hiring poor-performing employees and needing to find ways to change course down the road.
Grow your candidate pool – with no additional effort on your part
A related challenge we all deal with in the recruiting world is finding great candidates. The usual channels are job boards and Linkedin, but how do you tap into harder-to-find networks? One answer lies in these very same candidate references. Great people associate with great people!
SkillSurvey provides an option for references to opt-in to be part of your talent network: At this point, they are automatically added to a database that you can access for your future recruiting needs.
Integrated for your convenience
A common concern these days is an overabundance of tech tools and fears that they will add more complexity to our jobs rather than streamlining work the way they promise to. Fortunately, SkillSurvey and Bullhorn have a deep integration, meaning the experience is seamless. You can launch a SkillSurvey reference check from right within Bullhorn, and get your reporting in Bullhorn, which means there is no need for multiple log-ins or drastically changing your hiring routine. All of this adds up to time savings for a recruiting team that no longer has to chase down references and deeper insights for a hiring team looking to make the perfect hire!
To learn more, visit the SkillSurvey partner page.
