[e-book] smart hiring 2023

When checking references, N26 recruiters were getting toomuch of the same speech from the candidate's former employees…

During the final stage of recruitment, the N26recruiter contacts two to three people (employers or colleagues)whose names are provided directly by the candidate. The recruiteronly asks them what problems or difficulties they have encounteredwith the candidate. The elements collected are then compared to theelements provided by the candidates during the job interviews, and tothe observations made during the interviews.

This approach to reference checking has allowedN26 recruiters to get stronger feedback than the praise usuallyprovided by former employers, who are reluctant to address their excolleague's shortcomings. It also allows them to verify that theinterviews have identified the main areas of improvement for eachcandidate.