New: Reference Checks Survey Results Available
Job applicants with a spotty past are likely to encounter some initial obstacles, according to the results of i4cp’s latest study on reference and background checks. This member-requested survey found that a vast majority of companies (69%) conduct both a background check and a reference check for at least some positions. Less than 4% of respondents said they do neither, while the rest reported conducting only reference checks (19.1%) or background checks (8.3%) exclusively.
One interesting survey finding is that lower-performing companies don’t feel their background/reference checks are particularly effective, whereas almost half of high-performing organizations do. This finding may reflect better talent acquisition and subsequent training/onboarding efforts. In other words, lower performers may be correlating to the wrong metric if respondents are judging the efficacy of their reference and background checks based on subsequent employee performance. There could also be a problem with how this pre-hire information is acted on when it comes to a final hiring decision, or it could be that lower performers are not attracting the same caliber of applicants.
The results of the reference check study are now available for download:
Most organizations don’t review reference policies with employees when they leave their job.
Download the results for more!
One interesting survey finding is that lower-performing companies don’t feel their background/reference checks are particularly effective, whereas almost half of high-performing organizations do. This finding may reflect better talent acquisition and subsequent training/onboarding efforts. In other words, lower performers may be correlating to the wrong metric if respondents are judging the efficacy of their reference and background checks based on subsequent employee performance. There could also be a problem with how this pre-hire information is acted on when it comes to a final hiring decision, or it could be that lower performers are not attracting the same caliber of applicants.
The results of the reference check study are now available for download:
- Pulse Survey Results (PDF)
This easy-to-read report presents results in three sections: a graphic summary of the primary survey questions, a breakdown by Market Performance Index (MPI) and a breakdown by organization size.
- Interactive Data (requires Tableau Reader 5.0)
For those who require more in-depth analysis, Interactive Data allows for customization of the results by a variety of demographics, including MPI score, industry, job level, organization size and more, making it easy to benchmark results and identify potential opportunities for improvement.
Most organizations don’t review reference policies with employees when they leave their job.
Download the results for more!
Erik is the head of marketing at i4cp, and has nearly 20 years in the market research and human capital research industry.