Social Media: The most powerful new employment reference

By Julie Magnuson, HR Consultant and SDRR Chairperson

We all need to check references, but what do we really get when we do a reference check? Many times, it feels like we are going through the motions…you know the drill: The candidate gives us a list of names and numbers, cherry-picked of course, and we call them up to ask them questions. Isn’t it amazing how complementary these references are? Of course the candidate is not going to give us names of the people with whom they had conflict, who counseled them on significant performance issues, and who saw them make bad decisions. They always give us their biggest fans whenever possible

So how do we get the real scoop on candidates? We can always try to ask references questions from different angles and try to read between the lines of their responses. Often, the reference is more about what they DON’T say vs what the DO say. Employers are still afraid, for the most part, of giving a bad reference. So, rather than give a bad reference, they give a vanilla or generic response to most questions and don’t go very deep. Many of us know to look for these signs and can tell the “unspoken bad reference” from a mile away. And, with the power in the hands of the candidate to generate the reference name and contact info, the references are typically glowing and often discussed with the candidate prior to our phone call. So, while the ceremonial checking of the references is still necessary and important in the decision making process, there is another component that should be in place at every employer.

In addition to the reference calls, it is a critical step to use the Internet and Social Media to confirm employment and experience history and see what the candidates are saying on their public profiles. How many of us are Googling every candidate that gets to the finalist stage? Probably most, but if you are not, you must begin doing this immediately. In addition to anything that might come up under a Google search, you should also be seeing if these candidates are on top Social Media sites, such as LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook. While you don’t want to use any protected information that they may have public as a basis for employment decisions, certainly it is important to know such things as if the candidate is bad-mouthing their previous employer on Twitter or Facebook. Or, maybe their LinkedIn profile shows they left their last job 10 months ago, but they told you 2 months ago. Does the education and experience on these sites match what they provided you? Do they present themselves in Social Media in a professional manner as appropriate for the position you are considering placing them into? Also, have they been quoted anywhere as an expert, or written/contributed to any blogs? This might also provide insight into their level of expertise, writing and communication skills, and ability to network.

Gone are the days when our biggest social media concerns as HR people are how to block MySpace and/or Facebook so it doesn’t use our bandwidth or take employee attention away from their job duties. It is time as employers to embrace these blurred lines between work and home, and use all information made public by employees to evaluate their suitability in terms of the skills and experience necessary for these roles as part of the reference check. Employees/Candidates need to be careful what they post and have a responsibility to ensure they keep their public presence the way they want current and prospective employers to see them. Social Media is not going away, and by all accounts is the new, most powerful reference check for employers.

*************************************************************************************

Julie Magnuson, Chairperson, San Diego Recruiters Roundtable

Julie Magnuson founded and chairs the San Diego Recruiters Roundtable (SDRR), an online resource that connects and serves more than 400 members of the region’s human resources community.

Magnuson has over 14 years of experience in human resources. She launched the Recruiters Roundtable in 1998 and her successful HR consulting practice, Magnuson Consulting, in 2001.

As a consultant, she has served more than 65 leading San Diego employers in a wide variety of industries, but with a focus in high tech and biotech. Previously, Magnuson was Director of Human Resources for a 2,500 person employer in Poway, Calif.

The San Diego Recruiters Roundtable started as a vehicle for a small group of HR professionals to share information on HR and recruiting related topics. Today, SDRR has grown to be one of San Diego’s largest and best known HR professional networking communities. For more, see http://www.sdrecruiters.com.