Recommendations, reference letters, scripts for checking recommendations - the experience of HR practice

Recommendations and letters of recommendation: history

No need to think that recommendations and letters of recommendation are attributes of an advanced Western business culture.

Oral recommendations appeared as soon as a person learned to speak.
')
As for the written recommendations, they existed in Russia for more than one century - those who can read and write were no less exact than in “enlightened” Europe.

Even under Soviet rule, letters of recommendation did not disappear anywhere - they were called "characteristics", but this did not change their content and purpose.

Why letters of recommendation have ceased to inspire confidence

Because they, like obituaries, contain extremely positive characteristics.

No one spends time on their thoughtful drafting - the text is googled or compiled by the applicant for recommendations.

No less common is the practice when a letter of recommendation and a positive recommendation are used as a means of reducing the costs of parting with an employee.

Electronic confirmation of personal and business qualities is even easier to obtain - on the Linkedin network dozens of strangers confirm each other’s qualifications by clicking the mouse on the desired profile section.

Recommendations: personal experience

Everyone has different experience of working and hiring staff on the recommendation.

I was hired on a recommendation once; I twice recommended people I knew from working together.

An experienced personal driver recommended by me with 15 years of trouble-free experience broke the car in a new place a week later, adopted on the recommendation of the commercial director after three months, was lured away by competitors of the previous employer.

And a month after I started working “on the recommendation”, I found an allergy to the local corporate culture, an integral part of which was the exclusive right of the first person to use profanity in business communication.

Whether to believe in the recommendation

Remember the sayings: “that Russian is good, then German is dead” and “there are rattles in each hut”.

Other people, other relationships, other requirements, other goals and objectives, other conditions and content of the work - all of the above can make an unpredictable result of hiring on the recommendation.

That is why, knowing a person to work together, one cannot be sure that he will be successful with another employer.

The question of credibility to the referee is generally a separate topic.

Even the materials of my blog cause diametrically opposite reactions - someone finds them useful, someone writes in the comments about "nonsense", "heresy" and "absolute unprofessional author"

You yourself think - to whom you need to listen?

I'm sure you guessed it! You need to have your own opinion.

And recommendations of other people to perceive no more as a source of additional information, allowing it to form.

How to check recommendations

The verification of recommendations is most often understood as a phone call or in person to someone who can characterize the business and personal qualities of an applicant.

As a rule, this is either a manager or a colleague whose data is provided by the applicant, or an employee of the organization to which you are applying for recommendations with the permission of the applicant.

The accuracy and completeness of the information you receive during this conversation directly depends on how well you can conduct it.

I will tell about the approximate scenario of the conversation and the speech scripts used during it.

Start talking about recommendations

Introduce yourself, say about the purpose of the call, find out if it is convenient for the other person to talk with you.

The first option, when you have the contact details of the referee, may sound like this:

“Hello, my name is Ivan Petrov, I am the deputy director of ABC.

Your former subordinate Sergey Petrov has approached us about the work. He gave me your phone number and said that I could contact you for recommendations.

Are you comfortable talking now? ”

The second option - you, with the consent of the applicant, call to his previous place of work (either by the main phone, or ask to transfer you to the personnel department):

“Hello, my name is Ivan Petrov, I am the deputy director of ABC.

We were approached by your former employee, Sergey Petrov, about work, he did not mind us contacting his previous place of work.

Tell me, please, who among the managers can give a recommendation to Sergey Petrov? ”

After you are connected with someone who is ready to give a recommendation, re-introduce yourself and repeat the purpose of the call:

“Hello, my name is Ivan Petrov, I am the deputy director of ABC.

We were approached by your former employee, Sergey Petrov, about work, he did not mind us contacting his previous place of work.

I was told that you can give a recommendation (job description / feedback on work) to Sergey Petrov?

Are you comfortable talking now? ”

How to get recommendations

If your partner does not make recommendations several times a day, he is unlikely to feel in himself a willingness to give the former employee a detailed description.

So that he does not feel discomfort and understand what we want to hear and in general “talked,” we say the following phrase

“Please tell us about Sergey’s work in your company - how good he was as a specialist (manager), whether there were any comments on his work, which is why he broke up.”

Then listen, ask clarifying questions, test your hypotheses regarding the business and personal qualities of the applicant.

How to ask clarifying questions about recommendations

If you need to clarify any information provided by the interlocutor, ask:

“If you were satisfied with Sergey’s work, but he decided to leave the company because he was dissatisfied with the amount of wages, why didn’t they detain a valuable employee?”

“Did Sergey have any absenteeism, tardiness, was the work always done on time?”

“Do I understand correctly that Sergey’s duties included ...?

How to test hypotheses

As a rule, during the interview with the applicant, you have hypotheses about how the applicant’s past experience matches your impression of his business and personal qualities, and how much your prediction about the applicant’s success in your company is confirmed.

One of the goals of a conversation with a referrer may be to test these hypotheses.

To do this, ask questions, the answers to which can either confirm or refute your hypotheses.

In terms of scripting, it might look something like this:

“Your former employee claims for the position ****, where he will have ** subordinate employees, while he will solve the following tasks ****?

Do you think he will cope with such work?

What difficulties will he experience, in your opinion? ”

“Did I understand correctly that in your company Sergey Petrov independently led this project?”

“Sorry for maybe not quite correct question - did your former employee have any problems with alcohol?”

“If I understand correctly, Sergey is now receiving a second higher education. Did he take study leave, and did his study prevent him from working? ”

“What would you advise us, as the next employer, to pay attention to in Sergey’s work?”

How to end a conversation

“Thank you very much for the information, it is very important to us.

Thank you for your time.

All the best, goodbye "

What not to do when you check recommendations
1. To demand a clear and precise answer if you see that the other person is avoiding it.

To give recommendations is his good will, if he does not want to talk about something, you have no right to demand.

Begin to demand - the conversation will not work.

2. Explicitly recheck what you heard from the applicant for an interview.

“Sergey said at the interview that he performed such work in your company. It's true?"

“Sergey said that he made the decision to leave the company after he was denied a salary increase. Is that really true? ”

At best, you will get an evasive answer, at worst your questions may adversely affect the relationship of the recommender and the former employee of the company, if they have a different assessment of the events that preceded the dismissal.

In your relationship with the applicant, this, too, will not add anything positive - it is unlikely that he allowed you to refer in conversations with other people to what he told you in a personal conversation.

3. Of course, you should not ask questions to the author of the letter of recommendation “Did you write the truth in it?”

Even if you have a letter of recommendation signed by the author, you should not refer to it and discuss its content.

Finally

You should not count on the fact that the referrer will give you objective and comprehensive information.

There are isolated cases when former employers refer to facts that clearly negatively characterize applicants.

It is extremely rare to deliberately provide false information discrediting the business reputation of applicants.

In most cases, checking recommendations will give you additional information to make a decision.

If it contradicts what the applicant told you in an interview, and you want to understand the reasons for such a contradiction, ask the applicant about this and listen to his version.

Do not forget, any evaluation is subjective. And yours, and the applicant, and the referee.

The more often you remind yourself of this, the higher the likelihood that you can make the right decision.

Good luck and good luck to all who are looking for work and employees!