F. Scott Fitzgerald starts The Great Gatsby with a memorable line in chapter one:

"Reserving judgments is a matter of infinite hope."

When it comes to checking references, it’s more than hoping. You need to do the due diligence to verify that the references are legitimate. Even though you trust the candidate, you need to be sure. In Hire Senior Executives That Last, there is valuable advice for ramping up the due diligence process and avoiding the 30-40% failure rate. Investment in the hiring decision is significant. For middle managers, each decision becomes a $60,000 question. For executives, the stakes are even higher.

Read How Important are Reference Checks? They Knock out 20% of Job Candidates to learn how to get more out of the reference check process. Then find out the Top of Mind Thoughts From Recruiting Leaders where reference checks generated discussion. In particular, Taleo partner Checkster provides some unique value due to its innovative approach.

The Taleo Solution Exchange has more professional reference check and background screening alternatives so you’re getting just the facts and avoiding recruiter CSI on social network profiles.