Human Resources
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9
min read
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Reference checking is a crucial component of the hiring process.
Employment checks are the only opportunity to obtain an external opinion about a candidate applying for a job.
The feedback and insights from someone other than the candidate. This information is crucial when making decisions for a new hire.
In this blog, we'll explain:
Online reference checking is the digital approach to pre-employment checks. Employers that conduct online reference checks use a software platform for the process. Online reference checking is a more convenient, secure and reliable method.
Employment checking is a crucial element of the recruitment journey. An automated system is the more convenient, secure and reliable method to complement the interview process.
Automated reference checking changed the old process of making phone calls to previous employers.
With the automated service, recruiters check information provided by job applicants. Employers make enquiries to a short reference list of past employers. References provide their responses on the software application. Questions are normally related to facts, dates and additional information.
Reference check questions are designed to obtain information that is relevant to the candidate selection. Some of these questions are:
Other relevant information obtained from employment checks is:
Automated, online reference checking provides a faster, safer way of collecting valuable insights, helping hiring managers make quick and confident decisions.
Using software for pre-employment checks is better for candidates, employers and references. A good platform will offer great benefits:
You can expect multiple benefits when automating pre-employment checks. Let’s understand the advantages that a great service like Xref provides:
Xref’s process is quick. It takes only 30 seconds to make a request.
On average, it takes 24 hours for a reference to be returned.
When reference checks are faster, it is easier to make hiring decisions.
Xref user Kimberley Hubble from Hudson RPO, who noted:
“Xref takes, on average, five days out of our recruiting process. It allows our recruiters to spend more time building hiring manager relationships."
The progress of the pre-employment checks is provided to candidates in real-time.
Previous employers experience less disruptive calls during working hours and can respond at a time that suits them.
The team at Lion have noticed the impact of these benefits, with Katharine Davidson, Talent Acquisition Leader, stating:
“Xref has made the reference checking process so quick and easy for our candidates and their referees.”
The reference checking provides an opportunity to build a talent pool of future candidates. Often the way data checks are recorded, stored and used is non-compliant.
Xref software allows organisations to store securely the contact details of references who provide consent to be contacted.
Australian Unity identifies the benefits of compliance and convenience of finding potential recruits:
“Having access to a proactive searching platform reduces our need for costly job advertising. It also minimises recruitment spend and enables us to make targeted recruitment efforts.”
With an online platform like Xref, all contact details and feedback are collected and securely stored for future use.
Traditional reference checking processes are not very safe. There is a need for a process to store and manage contact details and notes. This is more complex when data is captured over a phone call.
The risks on data management are higher when the process is not automated.
APG&Co did no consider this additional layer of security as essential but they are very grateful to have it with Xref:
“We enjoy the assurance that we are complying with data privacy regulations. A risk we hadn’t sufficiently acknowledged when referencing in the past.
Traditional reference check insights present difficulties for interpretation.
Employment background checks over the phone present difficulties to identify reliable information and possible fraudulent candidate activity.
An online process ensures that feedback is shared verbatim. With software assistance answers are accessible for future managers.
With automated reference checks, the insights received are both detailed and accurately interpreted.
Xref detects any unusual activity that occurs during the process. The fraud detection piece has been significant for the team at Michael Hill:
“We would not have actively sought out the fraudulent activity during the reference checking phase before. It would just have been down to luck if we identified anything suspicious.”
With Xref, online reference checking is a simple 3 step process
The Xref journey starts when an employer or recruiter enters the details of their candidate into the Xref platform.
This initial request triggers an email to the candidate, asking them to provide details of their reference contacts.
Once the candidate provides contact details, their previous employers receive an email. The email includes a link to the Xref platform with a request to provide their feedback online. The hiring employer defines the set of questions.
The employer and recruiter receive the reference reports a few seconds after the reference check is completed,
Here are seven indicators that it may be time to move to a software solution for reference checking:
There are many reasons why you should consider online reference checks:
Book a demo to find out why Xref is a great reference checking software.
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