Reference Checking - Good Egg or Bad Apple?

  Posted on 02/02/2025

Just take references, it is the simplest and most trusted way to gain some validation over your prospective future employee.

Employers will always be willing to praise the reliability, professionalism, behaviours and great abilities/results achieved by a previous employee, and this just makes you more confident when you are onboarding your new employee and getting them set for success in your business.

References are given in different ways by different businesses, some are basic references with just job title and dates employed, some are willing to answer all of your questions, and some provide standardised reference forms that the employer does not deviate from. Don’t forget, “quiet referencing” also takes place and is legal, where references can also be taken with peers and other people who have worked with the individual previously.

For all the “good eggs”, there are a few “bad apples” out there. We have seen this up close and personal after 20+ years in recruitment. We recently experienced a case where suspicions about honesty, behaviour and integrity were duly confirmed as being a problem on a past reference. All the hallmarks were there to see, with the individual mirroring poor behaviours in previous employment. The flip side of this was talking to a recent new hire, who had resigned but who was determined to do an extra week of notice to complete a great handover, it was a refreshing signal of their attitude and integrity. These are the ones you want to hire!

When interviewing a potential new employee, it is always best practice to qualify a candidates’ reasons for leaving and to be aware of red flags, where it comes across as an employee being less than clear about their reason for leaving their last employer, or it seems to be a bit cloudy and subjective?

Time lost and cost for HR

A lack of referencing could cost your HR department the headache of ongoing workplace investigations, especially in the face of highly suspect behaviour that an employer must then monitor, document and prove. Most references are taken post acceptance when offers are subject to satisfactory referencing, but you can go back and reference as far back as you wish.

On a more serious level of dishonesty or misrepresentation, you will find job seekers who have passed off other people’s successes as their own, have never held the positions of responsibility they have said they have, or achieved the accolades they claim.

Protect your business and take references.

If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck – guess what - it is probably a duck! It is highly likely the bad apples will have a track record of dishonesty/poor behaviour in aspects of their work and in their life, all you need to do is dig for it. They also tend to get very defensive when they are pushed for a modicum of evidence that substantiates their claims. When challenged, they become a bit more verbally obtuse and their body language changes.

Ask for references. Those with nothing to hide will want you to find out their great back story!

References are still a great and transparent way to get the basic answers about the suitability of your next potential hire or to possibly delve deeper and rule out or confirm your positive or negative suppositions or maybe even suspicions. Take 2 employment references and do the "quiet referencing" too, it could save you tens of thousands of pounds not to mention the damage that can be caused to team balance and company culture. Do everything you can to ensure you add the good egg and not the bad apple!