Are you tired to death of struggling through painstaking and time consuming traditional reference checks? Do you think in your heart of hearts there has to be a better way? You’re in luck: Crosschq 360 Digital Checks are here to save the day and improve Quality of Hire.
Reference checks are the bane of many hiring managers' and recruiters’ existence. You do them because you have to do them, but you are pretty sure it could be easier.
You know for a fact that they are slowing you down, and you’re still not sure exactly how they are supposed to be helping you.
It’s time to get with the times and let this tradition die, already. Conducting phone reference checks generally produces as much useful information as reading an outdated paper map versus relying on satellite GPS for real-time updates.
Similar to an outdated paper map, traditional reference checking gives you limited, possibly obsolete information, with no context or relevant real-life details.
In comparison, digital reference checks are like real-time navigation, an entirely different level of information, delivering clear, easy directions on how to get from A to B, including up-to-date details on the best route based on time, traffic, and delays caused by road crews or weather.
Glove compartments used to be filled with a pile of folded maps and even an oversized atlas for navigating streets. If your friend today reached for a paper map to help navigate somewhere, wouldn’t you be compelled to bring them into the wonderful world of new navigation technology?
What’s the point of reference checking? Most hiring managers say they get very little usable information from the process. But candidate data is what reference checks should be about, and candidate data is what Crosschq 360 Digital Checks provide.
When you make the transition from traditional reference checking to 360 digital checks, suddenly the whole process changes—and so do the results. The amount of time you spend on the phone shrinks down to nothing, and the amount of data you receive expands exponentially.
Say goodbye to reference checks and hello to just what you need – amazing pre-hire data. In a fraction of the time required by traditional reference checks, you’ll be given reports on each candidate that clearly define their skill-sets and suitability for the role.
With traditional phone reference checks, the process tends to go something like this:
Check out what recruiters had to say about traditional reference checking in a recent LinkedIn poll by Hung Lee:
"Reference checks are inherently biased."
“They’re a waste of time, period!”
“What’s the point if the reference check
has no bearing on the hiring decision?”
With Crosschq 360, the process is very straightforward:
With digital reference checks, you don’t just get answers about whether or not a candidate worked at X company for Y years. You get ACTUAL data about how said candidate got along with their co-workers, whether or not they are a self-starter, and if they have a creative approach to solving new problems. You receive consistent rankings on their skills and competencies, especially those relevant to the open role for which they are applying.
That’s data you’d never get from a traditional reference check. Let’s take a look at some very tangible benefits of making the switch to 360:
When you start using Crosschq 360, you’ll wonder why you didn’t start sooner. It’s so easy, so fast, and gives you SO much data. You can zero in on key candidate quality indicators for each role, and start leveraging hiring intelligence.
Traditional Reference Checks |
Crosschq 360 Digital Checks |
Take 3 phone-hours per candidate on average; 4-10 business days to complete. |
Require virtually no effort; typically completed in 48 hours or less. |
Deliver very little actionable information about your candidates. |
Deliver precise data about your candidates, their skills, and their suitability for the job. |
Don’t lend themselves to apples to apples comparisons between candidates. |
Make it easy to rank your candidates by comparing their aggregate scores. |
Can easily let bias creep in, especially if the candidate and recruiter share a background. |
Removes unconscious bias, improving your diversity in hiring as well as your bottom line. |
Have little or no impact on onboarding, time-to-productivity, or Quality of Hire (QoH.) |
Are designed to streamline onboarding, speed time-to-productivity, and enhance QoH. |
Cost up to $144 or more per candidate. |
Cost just $4 to $8 per candidate. |
Immediate results of making the switch:
With Crosschq 360, you automate the most time consuming parts of checking references, and in return you get fast, detailed reports on every candidate, letting you compare your lineup across all factors and identify front-runners with ease. It improves communication with your hiring managers and creates a record of all candidate decisions.
Crosschq’s 360 Reports also set you and your candidate up for success by:
It’s time to let traditional reference checks recede into the distance, and welcome the new, improved way of doing things: 360 Digital Checks. For a free demo, contact our team today!