When you are hiring new employees, whether from the United States or another country abroad, you will need to do your homework. A lot of background checking and investigation goes into determining if an employee will be right for you. Besides placing immigration ads to get employees from other countries, you also need to check references, look through resumes, and interview. While all these steps are essential to finding you the best employee, one of the most significant steps is asking the right questions.
References can provide a ton of insight into candidates that are applying to your job posting. While many people often will put references down that don’t lead anywhere, you want to make sure you choose employees that have references who can give you the time of day to speak about the person. When speaking to these references, there are specific questions that you should ask them. Not just any question is going to suffice. They need to be succinct and to the point, so you can quickly understand if the employee will be the right fit.
Outlined below are some questions that you can ask a candidate’s references. If the amount of steps overwhelms you when you’re looking to hire employees—whether it’s immigration advertising or narrowing down choices—hire a recruitment agency.
What Was Their Most Memorable Accomplishment?
While a candidate may have had a super impressive job title at their last workplace, it doesn’t mean that they were a top performer. When you call a reference, you should ask questions to find out whether they were. By asking the reference about their most memorable accomplishments, you will find out if they did anything significant. If the employer can’t name anything, it might be a sign or indicator that that candidate is unwilling to go above and beyond, which might not fit your needs. If they had several significant accomplishments, it could show that the candidate takes their work seriously and dedicates themselves to whatever job they are given.
It is best to hire someone whose reference can name at least one significant accomplishment or at least a time where they took the initiative on a project and were a prime contributor to the project’s success. Even if you are hiring a person for a lower-level position, it is important to know whether they will be suited to grow at your company. You can also speak to the candidate about this during their interview.
Can You Describe Their Reliability?
One of the most important traits of a candidate is reliability. If they are working at your company, you will have to give them a good deal of responsibility. If they cannot complete these tasks when you need them and are consistently not meeting standards, they will not be an exemplary employee for the long term.
When you speak to the previous employer or the reference, ask about the candidate’s reliability level. The employer should be able to give you a straightforward answer on this. Not only will it shed light on whether they are going to meet deadlines, but it also shows how much they care. When someone is not reliable and is consistently dropping projects or missing the mark, it could be a sign that they are distracted or unable to handle multiple tasks at once. If the position you are hiring them for requires a great deal of multitasking and someone attentive to detail, an unreliable person will not be fit for the job. When a candidate doesn’t work out, consider hiring someone from overseas. When doing this, make sure you hire a recruiter to help with the immigration labor advertising.
How Well Did They Respond To Feedback?
Figuring out how a potential employee will respond to criticism is difficult, especially if you have never worked with them before. Looking over a resume and interviewing the best candidates are great ways to determine if they will fit well with your company. If they can’t take criticism well, you will be let down over time as they won’t be growing.
When you are speaking to the candidate’s references, make sure you ask them how well their previous employee responded to criticism and feedback. Go with a candidate who will be open to feedback and willing to push themselves and improve in order to be a better worker.
If you are reviewing candidates and there is someone who is not willing to go outside their comfort zone or trying things another way, their rigidity may prove problematic at your place of business. Providing feedback to workers is one of the most important parts of being an employer. This is how you instill your wisdom and knowledge and offer your own expertise so that they can do their job better. You want workers who are open to your suggestions and want to push themselves to meet the demands of the workspace.
Vetting potential employees can be a long and arduous process. You might not have the time to dedicate to a proper background checking and recruitment process. This is why you should hire a recruiter to handle these kinds of responsibilities. A recruiter will not only help narrow down your choices when choosing potential candidates, but they will also do a good portion of the grunt work, including placing immigration and when hiring for employees.
If you are reaching out to references, make sure that you ask them questions that will give you a good idea of what to expect of the candidate. If the references can provide examples of memorable accomplishments, reliable behavior, and feedback recognition, they might be worth bringing in for a probationary period. It’s with the right questions you can keep these conversations short and to the point and get the information you need.
