The most exciting time of the recruitment process for the job seeker, the hiring manager and the recruiter. The job seekers on the verge of embracing a challenge in new surroundings, the hiring manager close to securing a talented performer for their organisation and the recruiter having the satisfaction of being rewarded for their efforts.

Recently, I experienced a very unusual situation at this vital stage of the recruitment process.

An important part of people2people’s process is due diligence on Australian working rights and references. References are verified through an exchange with a work email address or by phone where possible. After conducting a glowing second reference with a former manager of the preferred applicant, a job offer was now tantalisingly close. The referee however, was reluctant to share their email address for verification with me, citing privacy reasons.

However, the referee was reasonable and willing to connect on Linkedin to exchange a message and verify our conversation. To my surprise, after connecting with the Linkedin profile, the person indicated that they had not spoken to me on the phone and provided significant differences in the dates the job seeker was employed with their organisation.

 They were not the same person!

The hiring manager and I were left without a choice but to withdraw the offer from the preferred applicant (plenty of opportunity was provided for a full explanation). A job offer was lost after providing a questionable referee and a reputation damaged or at least mortally wounded. Integrity and credibility are traits that follow everyone during their careers.

There has been commentary on the effectiveness of a reference check because 99% of them are completed without significant issues. This real life example shows the value of verifying the authenticity of the referee is as important as the content of the conversation itself.