The IT Nerd

Employers these days are on the hunt for the best talent. But how do you know if you actually found that talent? After you interview the person and get a sense of what they’re all about, you likely do a reference check. And that’s where the problem begins. I say that because there’s really no way of knowing if the reference is real, fake, or “fluffed up.” On top of that, humans do a poor job of trying to assess the quality of a reference. So, wouldn’t it be great if you could check references and get accurate assessments on the quality of those references as easily as you use the Internet to find candidates?

Xref which has its headquarters in Sydney Australia (but if you will indulge me in a bit of national pride, I will note that they just opened their latest office here in Toronto Canada), has the solution for you. Its SAAS based platform allows employers to collect and assess references painlessly in three easy steps:

1. The employer adds the candidate to Xref to request references.
2. The candidate shares the details of their references.
3. References respond with answers to pre-defined questions.

If you’re more of a visual person, here’s a video:

So you’re likely using what the big deal is. Well, Xref has an extra trick up its sleeve. It leverages an algorithm which examines reference responses and rates feedback positive, negative or neutral. This has the following advantages:

1. It offers a new method of data analysis which interprets the referee’s ‘tone of voice’ for the employer.
2. It reduces the chance that a reference is misinterpreted and provides a new indicator to detect the possibility of fraud.

So in short, it takes the human element out of the equation and allows the employer to make an informed decision. Plus it reduces fraud and makes the process painless enough that you get more responses. In fact Xref collects up to 60 per cent more data, five times faster than traditional reference checking methods. I should also mention that everything is secure from end to end. That’s pretty impressive. But to illustrate what a game changer Xref, I’d like to relate a story that was told to me by Timothy Griffiths who is the Co-founder and CTO of Xref. An employer who found what the thought was the perfect candidate asked for references. The good news is that the employer got all the references that were asked for back in record time. The bad news…. Or perhaps better news if you were the employer in this case was that Xref was able to determine that the references were fake, largely because they submitted seconds apart at 6AM. Needless to say, the candidate didn’t get the job and the employer dodged a bullet.

One other thing that I’d like to point out about Xref is that it integrates into the talent recruitment platform that you have. Here’s what Xref presently supports:

• Oracle Taleo
• iCIMS
• Bullhorn
• Smart Recruiters
• Equifax
• Expr3ss!

And if there’s a talent recruitment platform that isn’t on the list, Xref can likely put in the time to make their product work with whatever product you have.

Finally, I’d like to illustrate who uses Xref:

• Chelsea Football Club
• Revera
• WilsonCTS
• APG & Co

Clearly they have confidence in Xref, which means that so should you. Quite simply, Xref is a game changer. It will change the way you hire staff because you will find more quality hires than you have in the past. If you’re in the business of hiring people, you cannot afford not to give Xref a good hard look.