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.

Conducting Exit Interviews with RefLynk

RefLynk is an automated reference check system, but it can be used in many different ways. One use could be performing exit interviews. Exit interviews can be awkward, inefficient, and unproductive. No one actually wants to participate in one, but it is something that can be very beneficial for both parties. So how can an exit interview be made less awkward, but just as productive? The use of RefLynk can make this happen.

With RefLynk, an exit interview can be conducted by both parties without ever having to meet face-to-face. RefLynk surveys are customizable, and are sent via text message and/or email to the candidate. This not only eliminates the awkward meeting, but it also elicits a few other pros of using RefLynk to conduct exit interviews. These include:

• Honesty - It is a lot easier to be honest when filling out a survey online than it is to be honest in a face-to-face meeting. If there is anything negative to say, chances are, it will come out through RefLynk more often than in the conventional exit interview.

• Time-Saving -  Scheduling meetings can be difficult. Everyone is busy, everyone has other responsibilities, and it is hard to get people’s calendars to match up. With RefLynk, there would be no need to waste time scheduling meetings.

• Records - Because the exit interview is conducted through RefLynk, you will have a copy of the report. This could be great for filing, and for keeping record of exit interviews. 

If your organization uses RefLynk, you don’t only have to use the service for your reference checks. You would be able to use it anyway you wish with exit interviews being a perfect example. We, at RefLynk, know how important time is for any organization. As the saying goes, “time is money”. RefLynk can save your organization hours when it comes to things like reference checks and exit interviews. The more time you save here could result in more time used in other realms of your organization.

If your organization does not conduct exit interviews, or if you would rather continue doing them face-to-face, don’t worry. RefLynk can be used for things other than reference checks or exit interviews. So, if you are looking for more ways to use RefLynk, please make sure you keep an eye out for our upcoming blogs. We will touch on other ways RefLynk can be used to benefit your organization. 

If you would like to learn more, or if you want to know if RefLynk can be used in a certain way, please consider scheduling a 1:1 demo/conversation with one of our team members to talk about it and see the system. You can sign up for a demo/conversation by filling out this form: RefLynk 1:1. We would be more than happy to set that up for you. Thank you so much for your interest in RefLynk!

Top Five Reasons to Use RefLynk

Reference checking is a critical step in the hiring process for all companies. It is crucial to learn about a potential employee’s past, their work experience, and what other employers and co-workers thought about them. Reference checking can involve countless hours and manpower. Frustrating rounds of “phone tag” waste valuable time for your company. With RefLynk, these problems are solved. Our automated software is candidate-driven and involves SMS text messaging and emailing. Here are the top five reasons why a company should use RefLynk for their reference checking needs:

1. SMS Text Messaging and Emails: RefLynk is candidate-driven. This means that the employer is not responsible for contacting the candidate’s references. Instead, the candidate supplies RefLynk with reference contact information, and the system sends  the reference survey to those candidates via email and or text message.

2. Automatic Reminders: After the survey is sent, RefLynk will automatically remind the references everyday at noon (in the appropriate time zone) that there is a survey waiting for them to either complete or deny. If denied, the candidate is responsible for supplying a new reference. These automatic reminders ensure that a response will be made in a timely manner. Automation results in quicker turnaround times and less frustration for everyone.

3. Customizable Surveys: When setting up RefLynk, you will be able to customize your survey questions . We are able to provide Likert Scale questions (Rating from 1-5) as well as free-form response questions. With these two options, you will be able to create whatever questions you prefer.

4. FCRA Compliance: The FCRA (Fair Credit Reporting Act) applies to all types of consumer reports- criminal background checks, references, driving history, etc. If you use a third party (background screening firm) and pay them to conduct your background checks then you must follow the requirements of the FCRA. RefLynk is FCRA compliant.

5. Aggregated Feedback: Feedback is aggregated and scored by reference relationship. These reports are easy to read and provide consistent feedback and comparison. They allow for the easy comprehension of data.  Reports are available both online or through an integration as html or PDF. With these quantifiable results, you will be able to easily view the provided answers.

If you would like to learn more, please join us for a free, 30 minute webinar showing you the RefLynk system, here!

Are You Conducting Exit Interviews?

The life cycle of an employee within an organization normally will consist of the following stages:

• Application

• Candidate

• Vetting

• Hire

• On-Boarding

• Career Development

• Advancement

• Resignation or Termination

• Exit Interview

This cycle is relatively standard across most careers in multiple verticals whether it be professional or unskilled.   

Vetting and Exit Interview:  Both stages are vitally important to the employment cycle. A careful examination of employee turnover rates in multiple industries reveals that vetting and the exit interviews both serve similar purposes and share similar components.   Part of the Vetting process that is often overlooked is reference checking.  Reference checking is nothing more than gathering data on a candidate from multiple sources.  Methods used for reference checking are:

• Phone

• Face to Face

• Email

• Mobile Texting

Technology has advanced in such a way that reference checking can now be automated to save time and gather more in-depth data on the candidate.  

The exit interview is similar in purpose to the reference check and can be carried out using the same methods.  The exit interview normally takes place as the last stage when a current employee transitions to a former employee.   There are many possible reasons why an employee leaves a position. Whether leaving voluntarily or involuntarily, the key issue is WHY the employee is leaving.   It is vitally important that the employer discover why the employee is leaving. This information is a must for an employer to collect and process in order to identify any patterns in turnover.   Of particular interest is the possibility that the employee and the job were a mismatch from the very beginning. If so, the employer can use information learned from the exit interview to tweak the hiring process. Perhaps the employment interview didn’t target the needed skills, or there was a fail in the vetting stage.

Common methods used for conducting exit interviews are basically the same as those used for Reference Checking:

• Phone

• Face to Face

• Email

• Mobile Texting

Phone-  historically the most common method.  Issues include:  time suck, cooperation of the former employee, information often limited because of the very nature of a phone conversation.

Face to Face-  historically the second most common method used for interviews.  Issues include:  awkwardness on both the interviewer and interviewee. There is always the possibility that the interviewee’s responses are less than honest.

Email-  becoming more popular because of potential increases in time savings and candid feedback; therefore, may get more transparent or real data. Email also offers the interviewer an opportunity to ask more questions.  Issues include the acceptance and participation of the exiting employee. There is also the possibility that emails can get lost in the volume of emails received.

Mobile Texting-  Just now becoming acceptable by business standards. It is exceptionally accessible because texting reaches the former employee “where they live” i.e. their mobile phone.  

The common theme in Reference Checking and Exit Interviews is:  DATA.   The increase in amounts of data that can be collected in an efficient manner is vitally important in making informed decisions both the hiring and exiting processes. Automating these processes can lead to increased amounts of data which will, in turn, lead to much-improved processes.

How to Handle Intern Reference Check Feedback

As a junior in college, I have been fortunate to have a lot of recent experience working as an intern. The college I attend has been phenomenal in providing assistance with these opportunities, and wants future students to have similar ones. For this reason, at the end of my internship my employers and I were required to conduct interviews with an individual from the college. This data is extremely beneficial; however, the process to acquire it was not efficient to say the least. Simply imagine the time and transportation costs accumulated from sending individuals all over to meet with hundreds of students and employers just to conduct an exit interview. There has to be a better method.

Ironically, the company I interned with was Reflynk. Reflynk’s reference checking software is the exact solution that my college needs. Here is a breakdown of how Reflynk works in a simple 6 step model:

1. Admin. user enters the applicant's email and optional phone number within the system

2. Applicant receives email and optional text message

3. Applicant enters desired references with contact info

4. References receive email and optional text message

5. References complete survey regarding applicant

6. Admin. user views feedback

While Reflynk is originally intended for reference checking, it certainly can be used to obtain exit interview data, such as the instance with my college internship. To do this, the college would simply be the Admin. user, the intern would act as the applicant, and the employers would act as the references. The process remains the same, and the data gets collected in a much more productive manner.

Whether you need to obtain information on a potential new-hire or for an exit interview, Reflynk is the ultimate tool for collecting and organizing that data. Time and money are two essential concerns for nearly any business, and Reflynk saves both.

To learn more about the specific ways Reflynk can help save time and money for your company, I encourage you to attend a webinar: https://register.gotowebinar.com/rt/5971157761955085827

Or contact us for more information and a private demo:  sales@reflynk.com or 866-867-2910