Question: Our company is about to hire a new COO who will manage the whole finance department. We want to be very sure she has strong interpersonal and technical skills. We have spoken to all of her listed references, and, while they have been off the charts, I want to be absolutely certain we cover our basis. What do you suggest?
Answer: Contact your candidate, and get her consent for additional references to be performed. You may also ask her if there is any additional information about her candidacy that she would like to share voluntarily. This might be additional skills, presentations – anything that has a bearing on her ability to be an outstanding leader at your company. This clears the way for her to mention any event, credential or relationship in the past that may raise questions.
Assuming you obtain the go-ahead for additional reference checking, there are a number of facets to the continued pursuit. First, to get new names, you may want to use her resume. Identify every place where she has worked and locate four of five additional persons with direct knowledge of what she accomplished. Also, run LEXIS NEXIS searches, and check the Web to see if you can locate additional relevant career information. Sometimes, even investigating extracurricular engagements, such as board membership or associations, can reveal important details.
Once you identify more sources, approach these new references with the questions you have been asking their predecessors as well as any others that come to mind. In this tier of referencing, be creative about how you get to the analysis. Budget enough time to have in-depth discussions, including telling the references you need at least a half hour of time, and really dig deep when you hold the discussion. Ask for examples of her leadership rather than asking specific questions that may inadvertently cut short other valuable information.
In addition to the professional referencing you conduct, you may want to run a credit and criminal background check. Obtain your candidate’s permission before going forth if you did not previously do so. There are many reputable companies that will check and verify degrees, credit and criminal status for a fee. You may also consider conducting testing to identify your potential leader’s strengths from a clinical perspective. Specialized companies have been organized to conduct the testing and to interpret results.
As you get more information from more diverse sources, you will be able to see a pattern emerge. You should be able to confirm much of the positive feedback you have already received. You will also either confirm or discredit any red flags previously concerning you.
Contact Karen Alphonse at Karena@execSearches.com or visit ExecSearches.com for more information about our career coaching services.
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