Benchmark: Reference-Checking Woes

Some results from a recent survey of HR professionals about the inadequacies of reference checks.

By Donna Fenn |  @donnafenn   | 
 

An alarming percentage of 1,331 human-resources professionals recently surveyed bemoaned the inadequacy of information they received through reference checks. Here's where they had trouble:

Percentage who received

Job-related topic inadequate information

Salary history 30%

Qualification for a particular job 30%

Human-relations skills 43%

Reason candidate left former employer 44%

Work habits (absence, tardiness) 48%

Personality traits 52%

Violent or bizarre behavior 54%

Source: "Reference-Checking Survey," Society for Human Resource Management, Alexandria, Va., June 1995.

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    • Donna Fenn

    Inc. contributing editor Donna Fenn is the author of Upstarts! How GenY Entrepreneurs are Rocking the World of Business and 8 Ways You Can Profit From Their Success (McGraw-Hill, 2009). Both this blog and the book examine the ways in which GenY is changing the entrepreneurial landscape with new approaches to starting, growing, and managing their companies. Learn more at http://www.upstartsrock.com/.


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