I’ve done a lot of tech recruiting. Reference checks are invaluable, especially if you do them over the phone (instead of email/text).
People are wired to be honest, even about the faults of their friends. Tone of voice, pauses and side comments are often the most useful parts.
By the time you’re checking references you’re not normally trying to determine if the candidate is psycho or incompetent, you’re trying to figure out the specifics. Are they going to be a good fit for the team? How will they handle the stresses, structures, or freedoms of the role? What kind of support are they likely to need and can the team realistically provide it?
And to OP, yes. Absolutely, ask to meet with employees. Ask the hard questions, you’ll probably get surprisingly candid responses.
We get so many stupid online forms that people send us as a reference chack for past employees.
Like, just call us and we can answer your questions. Do your job HR person from some random company.
We don’t appreciate having to sit down for 20 minutes In our workday having to fill out a form with mundane questions and rating scales that no one really cares all that much about. We aren’t being paid to hire those people. Call us and we can get it over with in 5 minutes. Drive us nuts when a company sends us those stupid forms.
I’ve done a lot of tech recruiting. Reference checks are invaluable, especially if you do them over the phone (instead of email/text).
People are wired to be honest, even about the faults of their friends. Tone of voice, pauses and side comments are often the most useful parts.
By the time you’re checking references you’re not normally trying to determine if the candidate is psycho or incompetent, you’re trying to figure out the specifics. Are they going to be a good fit for the team? How will they handle the stresses, structures, or freedoms of the role? What kind of support are they likely to need and can the team realistically provide it?
And to OP, yes. Absolutely, ask to meet with employees. Ask the hard questions, you’ll probably get surprisingly candid responses.
We get so many stupid online forms that people send us as a reference chack for past employees.
Like, just call us and we can answer your questions. Do your job HR person from some random company.
We don’t appreciate having to sit down for 20 minutes In our workday having to fill out a form with mundane questions and rating scales that no one really cares all that much about. We aren’t being paid to hire those people. Call us and we can get it over with in 5 minutes. Drive us nuts when a company sends us those stupid forms.