Canadian HR Reporter

January 2018 CAN

Canadian HR Reporter is the national journal of human resource management. It features the latest workplace news, HR best practices, employment law commentary and tools and tips for employers to get the most out of their workforce.

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CANADIAN HR REPORTER JANUARY 2018 NEWS 7 Dishonest references test recruitment Global problem has led to delays, inefficiencies in war for talent: Experts BY MARCEL VANDER WIER WHEN it comes to reference checks, there's a disconnect and lack of trust that's causing prob- lems in the recruitment process in Canada and across the globe, according to a report. Eighty-two per cent of HR professionals believe people pro- viding references are not always being honest, while 68 per cent believe they've been lied to while conducting phone references, found the survey of 102 Canadian HR professionals last fall by Xref. On the other side, 38 per cent of job applicants said they have been named by a friend for an employ- ment reference, with 50 per cent believing it's more important to put forth a "good reference" than a direct manager, found the sur- vey of 1,011 Canadians who have applied for a job within the last two years. Further, 17 per cent of respon- dents admitted to going so far as to ask a friend completely unrelated to their previous place of unem- ployment to provide a reference. While HR continues to value the reference check as a crucial tool in the hiring process, candi- dates are simultaneously bend- ing the truth by extending work timelines, embellishing past roles, or listing achievements that were never completed — and then having a reference verify it, said Lee-Martin Seymour, CEO of Xref in Sydney — a cloud-based reference-checking platform. e study's findings uncover a "black hole of truth," said Sey- mour. "It may be that Canadians just don't realize some of the mis- takes being made when applying for new jobs — and when sub- mitting references as part of the process… Whether that's inten- tional or not, organizations must be able to safeguard their systems and not fall victim to dishonest candidates." "Canada's not an outlier. is happens globally," he said. "Clear- ly, more transparency is needed." Affecting search for talent Dishonesty in references is a global problem and relevant to all career levels, according to Milko Filipov, general manager of CVerification, a blockchain-based recruitment and background veri- fication platform in Germany. e company offers an alter- native to the background check, working as a notary and guarantor of genuine documents while al- lowing users to share verified ref- erences and professional achieve- ments with potential employers, he said. "We believe that the majority of applicants are not completely honest in the application pro- cess," said Filipov. "is makes it difficult for honest applicants to impress recruiters and this is how the problem evolves to more seri- ous issues and inefficiency on the job market." e current process of refer- ence-checking takes far too long, said Seymour, and many HR pro- fessionals are losing out on top candidates as a result. "In Canada, we're short on skills. It's really hard to find top talent," he said. "Candidates are actually walk- ing away from their job applica- tion because of delays in referenc- ing. at's got to change because as Canada's economy grows, we've got to find the talent to fuel these companies." "If we're losing candidates be- cause of antiquated, underper- forming historic tasks, then we need to change it." The survey results are not surprising, said Danielle Korins, CHRO at Sterling Talent Solu- tions in New York. "ey validate why completing thorough background screening is so important," she said. "is is also why we do employment verifications in conjunction with references, to verify dates of em- ployment, reason for leaving and eligibility for rehire." Safeguarding your company Adopting a 360-degree refer- ence check process is critical, said Korins. A full picture requires hearing from a former supervisor, co- worker and direct report. "Experienced verifications spe- cialists will know what red flags to look for and are better equipped to spot a bad reference," she said. "is is especially true when con- ducting phone references as the verifier can probe further and sense tone or hesitation on the part of the referee." Conducting due diligence on a potential recruit's past means HR practitioners need to go well past the reference check when recruit- ing, said Korins. "Verify past education and em- ployment and conduct criminal record checks to get the whole picture. Typically, a candidate that is falsifying information will have red flags in multiple areas." HR professionals should also ensure they are speaking with multiple supervisory references with questions on the candidate's work tenure, role and ability to work in a team, with specific ex- amples, she said. 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