Yes. Reference checks are completely irrelevant and often misleading. I ran a reference check on a candidate and the manager had nothing but praise for the candidate. The candidate got the job and was fired on the first day. It was nice that I could tell my manager I did the reference to cover myself, but I could have made it up since it proved irrelevant.

Smart candidates will prep their references and will not give out the names of people they did not get along with. That's common sense. No one can get along with everyone; somebody will assuredly dislike you for something or other. But you can be certain that a reference will have positive things to say about you.

Candidates often do not want to give out references at first contact because many believe (rightly) that the recruiter will use that reference to make a sales call. I never make my candidates give me references on the first call; rather, if I am required to, I wait until I have an interview. That way you have more of a give and take relationship with the candidate and there is more trust between you.

Recruiting firms offer reference checks as a service to their clients. To legally do a reference check, you must have written permission to do so. If the manager bad mouths a candidate, that company could be in for a defamation or business interference (tortuous interference) lawsuit. This is one reason why many large companies have a policy against giving any references other than start date, end date, and re-hire status, and even that they give out with great care.

Thus, with savvy candidates and weary former mangers a reference check is a largely perfunctory exercise that does not glean any new information about the candidate, nor is it a very effective device in forecasting future performance; it is therefore irrelevant.

By: Gene Leshinsky, The Boston Technical Recruiter

Article courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap, a content exchange service sponsored by CollegeRecruiter.com, a leading site for college students looking for internships and recent graduates searching entry-level jobs and other career opportunities.