The process of checking references is as important as the hiring interview itself. During this process the hiring manager has the opportunity to verify the most important of the candidate's achievements as well as the qualities that made her the professional person she claims to be. Make sure you do a complete reference checking. Not doing it, could be quite a costly exercise.
Ideally, you should be checking references with the person that managed the candidate in his last position. If this is not possible, then check with other managers, colleagues and customers. Do not under any circumstances accept personal referees as a substitute to the above.
The hiring manager should spend at least 15-20 minutes with each referee discussing the candidate. You should alert the referee about the length of time you wish to spend on the phone. If it is not possible, then you should arrange for an alternative time. By the way, avoid the habit of sending a fill-in check referencing form to any person. I have seen some recruiters follow this habit. I certainly would not have such a person working with me. I know that people's time is important but so is hiring. Even if you have to chase someone for some quality time on the phone, it is something that you just have to do.
Using professional recruiters for referencing makes a lot of sense even if the recruiter has not been part of the hiring process. Being a third party and an experienced one, the professional recruiter can get you important information that someone else would find it hard to. Business Mind offers such a service. Please, fill in the form at the end of this article if you wish to use our check referencing services.