You’ve shortlisted, interviewed and made an offer to the candidate you thought very highly of. Then, as standard practice, you’ve written for references and to your dismay, you’ve received something which is far from glowing.
What do you do?
Well firstly, we’re hoping that you’ve made your offer of employment as ‘subject to satisfactory references’. Then, there are all sorts of potential options to consider, but we would usually suggest at least one of the following:
- For reasons of fairness, it is crucial to discuss what you’ve received with the candidate concerned. Listen to their side of the story, and compare it to what their former employer had to say, and then form a judgement about their suitability for the role based on both employee and employer representations.
- If you are able to, call the person who sent the reference just to double-check the facts from their perspective so that you can make a more informed decision before the candidate becomes an employee. This will also allow them to go further into an explanation than they felt comfortable putting down in writing to you. You may hear a much more complex story when you speak to them on the phone and it may have a bearing on whether you still wish to employ the candidate.
If the candidate has told you things which contradict the statements in the reference, it’s always best to at least try to follow this approach before making your mind up. It may be that the candidate felt that this particular person at the company had a grudge against them or there may have been a major personality clash, or even bullying accusations. There are all manner of potential reasons why someone has chosen to leave an employer and it is always possible that the employer was the one at fault.
- After taking options 1 and / or 2 above, you’re then faced with making a clear decision, which could include:
- Amending your offer to one which involves a clear trial period for the employee concerned, which will give you the chance to closely observe their behaviour and act accordingly. (and helps to manage expectations)
- Proceeding with employment while hoping for the best, or
- Withdrawing your offer on the basis references were not satisfactory.
All options could bring consequences, so make sure you manage situations like these very carefully! Much of how you proceed will depend on how much you trust the word of the candidate when it comes to talking about their former employment.
Because this is the case, it may be worth having a face-to-face meeting with the candidate to discuss the matter with them and to outline the options that are open to you at this stage. This will allow you to assess whether you believe their version of events based on their in-person reactions to your questions. There are a lot of “tells” when people are being untruthful in person including touching their neck and face shortly before or after answering a question.
