If you are hiring a new Product Manager, you may be tempted to skip what once was a venerable part of the interview process – the reference check. The popular rationale is that candidates will “stack the deck” by only giving references for people that will put them in a positive light, and thus it’s not worth the time to make the calls. However, there are several excellent reasons to do the reference checks. I’ve taken some of these from TopGrading and some from my own experience. They all come down to setting the goal for reference checks differently. Reference checks aren’t just about validating your assessment of a candidate’s interview. Reference checks also help:
Weed out C-Players: When choosing a candidate, it’s all about hiring A-Players. The common rationale for avoiding reference checks is based on a fact: hiring takes a lot of time. To get to one A-Player, the top 10% of candidates, there are at least 9 candidates that must be screened out. This takes time with no positive outcome. By being clear that there are reference checks as part of the interview process, you can help weed out C-Players with no work. State that you will be contacting former managers, not just the references that the candidate chooses, and C-Players will likely not apply or choose to not continue the process. An A-Player, however, will not see this as a obstacle and be happy to arrange these references if they are truly excited in your position.
Begin the mentoring process: A reference check isn’t just about making the hiring decision. References are also an invaluable jump start to mentoring your (hopefully) new Product Manager. By talking to former managers about a candidates strengths and weaknesses, you can learn where they need coaching and how you can leverage their strengths. You can even do these reference checks after the offer has been accepted. This can help you set the tone with the reference more clearly as one manager talking to another about how to best ensure their former A-Player is a star at your company.
Show the candidate you care: A-Players enjoy a challenge, and will rise to exceed your expectations. By doing reference checks, you are showing the candidate that you value getting the best talent, and spend the effort to ensure only top players work for you. They will thus have better impressions of their co-workers knowing that they all went through the same challenge and hiring rigor.Reference checks aren’t just the last gate in your interview process. They can set the tone for all the interviews and be the bridge between a great interview process and a great onboarding process.