by Jenny Reid
CV Reference Checks are a valuable part of the pre-employment screening process as these days, it is incredibly simple to falsify prior employment, references, and education. A CV reference check verifies all the information provided by a candidate in their CV and either confirms the information is factual or proves that the information is false or exaggerated.
As an employer, you should not take employment references at face value. If you do not incorporate CV reference checks into your pre-employment screening process, you may find your company in the midst of a scandal if the falsified information is questionable enough. Employers may well be blinded by prestigious companies being included in a candidate’s employment history or references; however, these still need to be verified as anyone who will falsify a reference from NASA or IBM may very well throw your company’s reputation into disrepute. Falsified references also show a lack of integrity which should warrant concern for your company.
CV reference checks offer the employer the peace of mind needed to trust the candidate and their references or reject the candidate on the basis of a false CV and the personality flaws needed to lie about such things. This is necessary for an employer to make an informed decision regarding hiring a candidate or not.
Despite the importance of this particular pre-employment check, traditionally, they are laborious and due to them commonly being done telephonically, there is the potential for misunderstandings or inaccuracies to occur. Interpretation accuracy can decrease if information is not presented in a manner that allows the employer to go through it in their own time, in detail, and repeatedly, to allow for true comprehension.
This is worrisome for those who have made simple mistakes on things like their employment start dates, for example, to be rejected due to what looks like a falsified CV, as well as the employer who may accidentally reject the perfect candidate.
When doing a CV reference check, it is also necessary to verify that the companies listed as employers are legitimate companies and that the email addresses used for the given references are valid and connected to the company they are speaking on behalf of.
We see discrepancies like this often. A candidate will state that they worked for XYZ company and provide a reference from their boss at XYZ company but the email address of the person writing the reference is something like boss@ZYXcompany.com.
This is clearly not an email address that would have been created for XYZ company, but it looks similar enough that human eyes may miss it.
Another facet of this is checking the social media presence of the candidate in question. Most people update their LinkedIn profile with their new employment or accolades. Overall, social media is a wealth of information to be tapped into.
iFacts has revolutionised the way we do CV reference checks by enlisting the assistance of AI for more efficient and effective results for our clients. Our checks are now done on our state-of-the-art system. By providing the client with a link to do the CV check, it can be done rapidly, with fewer inaccuracies, allowing for a more correct and easier-to-interpret result. This check also verifies the companies and email addresses of references, to ensure they are valid and affiliated with the company they say they are. It will also check the social media presence of the candidate for information on past employers.
Jenny Reid is a Human Risk Expert and Professional Speaker, and the owner of iFacts based in South Africa, a specialist employee screening and vetting service. She is constantly assessing new and innovative ways to remove the people risk in any organisation. Since 2009 when she took over iFacts completely, she has seen the company double in size and hopes to continue this growth. iFacts specializes in employee Screening, risk assessments, employee wellness, investigations, and truth verification. Jenny is a past President of the Security Association of South Africa. Contact Jenni via email jenny@ifacts.co.za
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