AI recruiting

How Can RefLynk Automated Reference Checks Help with the Hiring Process?

One of the most difficult, time consuming, but important processes for any organization is the hiring process. Going over countless résumés and conducting all of the interviews seems daunting enough, but then thinking about performing reference checks might just totally overwhelm an organization. This could cause a few different things to happen. Some may just totally skip over the reference check step, while others may just do it half-heartedly. Although some may not see the true importance of reference checks, I’d like to point out a few reasons why they are vital for the hiring process.

I’m a huge fan of the show “House”. If you haven’t seen the show, the main character, Dr. House, is played by Hugh Laurie. He is known to solve health mysteries that no one else can figure out, while never trusting the patient. Throughout the series, he often states “Everybody lies”. Of course, he is an extremely pessimistic character and I don’t condone that way of thinking, but there is some truth behind his sentiment. We can’t always trust people, and that means we can’t always trust what they put on their résumé. This is where reference checks come into play.

Reference checks allow organizations to ask more personalized questions of their candidate. They can uncover truths that may not have been found in the résumé step of the hiring process. It’s unfortunate that we live in a world that we can’t always trust people, but because that is a reality, it is important for organizations to do their due diligence in checking their candidates as thoroughly as possible.

Luckily, RefLynk is available to those organizations that see the importance of conducting a reference check on a new hire. RefLynk is an automated reference checking system that is candidate driven. It does the hard part for you, so you can continue to focus on the other parts of the hiring process without having to play phone tag with references. Here’s how it works:

  • You can create custom made surveys for your references.

  • To initiate a reference check, the organization enters the candidate’s name, email, and phone number. 

  • The candidate is sent an email and a text message asking them to enter their references. They will need to enter their reference’s names, emails, and phone numbers.

  • The references are sent an email and a text message asking them to complete the survey.

  • Once all references respond, the organization will get the results.

The use of RefLynk not only saves you time, but it also ensures that your candidate has been properly vetted. If this sounds like something that interests you, please sign up a 1:1 demo of the system here. If you have any questions, please email us at info@reflynk.com and we would be happy to get those answered for you.

Are References Real?

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Corruption, embezzlement, fraud, these are all characteristics which exist everywhere. It is regrettably the way human nature functions, whether we like it or not. What successful economies do is keep it to a minimum. No one has ever eliminated any of that stuff.

– Allen Greenspan-  

“How do I know that a reference that a candidate provides is real?”   This is a question that we at SafeHiring get asked by approximately 60% of those that are considering using Reflynk to automate the reference checking process.  I always answer this question with a question. Yes, I know that can be annoying. “How do you conduct reference checks right now?” I already know that answer to this question because it is one of two ways:

  • By phone

  • By not checking them at all

I then will follow that question up by asking, “How do you currently validate the candidate’s references?”  Generally, the answer is, “We do not.”

Validating a reference can be extremely difficult and time consuming.  Some simple suggestions to protect and defend against Reference Fraud are:

  • Ask for a greater number of references - both professional and personal - This forces the candidate to dig deeper in their list of contacts to create a larger data set.

  • Perform some “prework” on the submitted references - This can be as simple as conducting a quick Google Search of the company or the person. You can also use a tool such as LinkedIn.  

Although LinkedIn is a powerful tool, it is not guaranteed 100% accurate.  Other business networking sites are:

  • Ask a greater number of questions per reference - Much like the approach above, this creates a larger data set.

  • Vary the types of questions asked - Create different competency groups in your question groupings.  Phrase the same question differently and ask in different parts of the session.

  • Conduct a random reference audit - Depending on the volume of candidates that an organization has, every 30 or 60 days reassign and reconduct the reference check using the same question set.  

  • Automate the reference checking process - By automating the reference checking process, an organization can easily and efficiently implement the above suggestions without increasing the time and/or effort to conduct the check.   

First Generation Automated Reference checking platforms use email to conduct reference checks.   More current platforms are now utilizing Mobile Texting and/or email to conduct  reference checks and have many more options in formatting the requested information.   These platforms will not truly validate the reference, but they will collect valuable information to help you validate such as:

  • Duplicate contact information

  • Time stamps of when responses were given

  • Accurate aggregation of data

As stated above, at this point, there is really no way to completely validate reference information regardless of how an organization conducts reference checks.  There is, however, more and more technology that is being developed (BlockChain) that could eliminate any instance of Job Fraud or Resume Fraud.

Learn more about RefLynk.

Using AI in HR and Recruiting

AI (Artificial Intelligence) is a buzzword right now that people are either embracing or fearing.  AI has been around for years and is already a part of everyone’s life. We just may not have realized that was what it was called.  In fact, until recently, it was not called AI.   It might have been called:

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One might ask, “Where does AI fit into HR and Recruiting?”  To answer this we must first distinguish the difference between HR (Human Resources) and Recruiting.

Human Resources is a department within an organization that oversees various aspects of employment such as compliance with labor laws and employment standards, employment benefits, and some aspects of recruitment and dismissal.  One major area in which artificial intelligence will have impact on Human Resources is improving relationships with existing employees.   HR departments are constantly fielding employee inquiries. AI can be used to answer these questions via automated email replies or IM messages (a form of email filters referenced above).   Virtual assistants could perform and automate everything from scheduling employee review meetings to on-boarding landmarks.  Using algorithms to facilitate employee coaching is beginning to take shape now and shows great promise.

Recruiting is the overall process of attracting, selecting, and appointing suitable candidates for jobs within an organization.   Recruiting is an essential part of Human Resources as Human Resources would not exist if Recruiting was not present.  AI is present in most areas of today’s recruiting environment.  AI is used to reduce possible human bias in recruiting.  This brings up another topic for a later post- Do we want to dehumanize the recruiting of humans?   AI is present in the job posts that are posted on an organization’s career site i.e. a job board such as Monster, Indeed, LinkedIn, etc . . .   How are those job descriptions developed, parsed, and ordered for present and future success? AI.  Assessing candidates and the candidate selection process is littered with artificial intelligence.   Many organizations are using software with sophisticated algorithms to automate, rank, match, and assess a candidate’s attributes and experience with a desired position.  

The above examples are just a few of the solutions available right now that are incorporating Artificial Intelligence in the HR and recruiting arena.    Obviously, there are many solutions available with many more to follow.  Ironically enough, AI will more than likely play a large role in determining the what, the if, and the when your organization takes a dive into the world of AI.   

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