Sometimes a reference check doesn’t lead to a job offer. . . and that’s okay

Photo by Javier Allegue Barros on Unsplash

Heart Talent recently partnered with a marketing leader at a national nonprofit to find digital marketing talent for her team.

We attracted an excellent selection of digital marketing talent to this role and at the end of the process, the Head of Marketing had two exceptional candidates. Let’s call them Jane and John.

“I would be very happy to have either in the team, they are both great”.

John had a slight edge over Jane, but we are talking about a ‘splitting hairs’ difference, so both had a second interview and we requested reference checks for both candidates.

The purpose of these reference checks was not to split hairs further. In this case, we knew these people are in-demand talent. We didn’t assume that if we offered someone the job, they’d accept.

Good people always have options, right?

What transpired over the next few days was very insightful and completely flipped the decision.

The reference checks for both were glowing. Exceptional feedback. A no brainer on both accounts. Except for two little details.

Jane’s references shone new light on her. Collecting this additional data from third party sources gave the hiring manager even more confidence she was the best choice.

John started to stall, having second thoughts. And his references, while glowing, highlighted ambition and a drive for fast growth, which this employer couldn’t offer.

The hiring manager decided to sleep on it. 

The next morning, we offered the role to Jane and in the same hour, John decided this role wasn’t the right next move.

What can we learn from this situation?

Never skip the reference checks.

Don’t assume your offer will be accepted.

Ask reference questions with the real intent to understand (not tick boxes).

References can change the game, and that’s okay.

Read more about how to rethink who the ‘best’ candidate might be in this article or contact us today.