| Recently, I was asked to spend some time on the | | | | environment. However, the process we discussed can |
| telephone, coaching a client's administrative assistant | | | | help you overcome this refusal to help you complete |
| on how to check out an employment candidate's | | | | this important assignment. |
| references. After each in-person or telephone | | | | The Steps To Checking References: |
| conference, I complete a brief written report going | | | | 1. You need to obtain from three to five business |
| over the information discussed. The information that I | | | | references from each of the candidates approved by |
| gave this worker was so vital to the company's overall | | | | management. |
| sales management success that I felt impelled to | | | | 2. Call the candidate's references and use the following |
| share the report in my periodic client e-mailings, feeling | | | | script in your own words to obtain the information |
| that it might be of value to others that I serve. The | | | | needed to make an informed decision in hiring a given |
| information is so vital to the management process, I | | | | candidate: |
| decided to reproduce it here as well. | | | | "We plan on giving (candidate first name) extensive |
| After over 22 years of advising managers, I'm | | | | training to help her (him) to be successful in this new |
| convinced that the hiring process is the primary key to | | | | position. Could you please help me with several |
| management success. If you hire right, your job of | | | | suggestions on areas we need to train (candidate) so |
| managing staff is made much easier. Here are the | | | | she (he) can make a smooth transition?" |
| suggestions I made along these lines: | | | | 3. Next, ask the reference to give you two or three |
| Julie: | | | | names of other managers or co-workers who could |
| It was good to talk to you yesterday. | | | | give you insight into helping the candidate make the |
| As we discussed, the assignment you've been given | | | | transition. |
| by management to call each sales support candidate's | | | | 4. Then, call the reference's references and use the |
| references, is vital to the company's future sales | | | | same script outlined in step two above to elicit |
| success. As I teach in my coaching workshop, if you | | | | additional information about the candidate. |
| work hard at the hiring process, it makes managing | | | | It's so easy to make a couple of calls and then give up |
| staff members much easier over the long term. | | | | on finding information. You really need to work hard at |
| You were right when you commented that calling | | | | this process to help management make sound |
| references "is not that easy." I agree that there is | | | | decisions about the top candidates for a given position. |
| resistance by many business owners and managers | | | | This assignment is vital to producing consistent sales |
| to giving out information in today's litigious business | | | | success. |