A while back, my friend George (all names changed) hired someone who previously worked for Fred, another friend.  Unfortunately, the hire didn’t work out and left in a few months.  Later, Fred said something like, “Yes, George called me for a reference, and I gave him Really Big Hints to not hire him!”

I’ve written previously on hiring.  Within the hiring process, a set of deep, well-done reference checks is absolutely critical.  You can spend hours with someone  in multiple meetings, but there’s no substitute for talking to a previous manager, peer, or report who’s worked closely with the candidate.

In a reference call, you’re (a) validating the Good Stuff the candidate has already told you, and (b) looking for things that you haven’t been told but should know.  We’re all human, each with our share of imperfections.  But most folks don’t spend enough time digging for those imperfections.  It’s tricky, because social norms, psychology, and liability concerns make it hard for most people to “say anything bad” about a candidate.

Your job, when doing a reference check, is to dig deep, and to make it safe & OK for the reference to tell you what you need to know.