Is a Candidate Lying to You?

How to find out a candidate is lying

Insight from Rameel Sheikh

I’ve hired over 100 people in my career (so far!).

When I first hired people, I skipped over reference checks. I figured I could always let someone go if they didn't work out.

That was immature of me. Not only does this negatively impact the candidates life, it’ll also impact my teams culture.

At my time at Firstbase.io, this is what I came up with to ask the right questions during a reference check. Of course, you should ALWAYS back channel candidates besides the ones they provide to you.

• Use Neutral Language: The words we pick can really shape what we think, especially when checking someone's work history. If we talk about "weaknesses" or "mistakes," it's like we're already judging those things as bad. It's smarter to use words that don't judge, so we can get the real story about someone's skills and where they can grow.

• Keep Questions Focused: Try to focus on direct questions towards specific aspects to get clear, relevant insights. For instance, instead of asking about multiple traits at once, focus on one trait, like problem-solving ability.

• Allow for Open-Ended Feedback: You should encourage referees to provide detailed feedback beyond simple yes/no answers to gather nuanced insights.

• Avoid Ratings, Offer Choices: Use balanced options rather than numerical ratings to avoid inflated responses.

• Use a Semi-Structured Format: Be sure to standardize questions across candidates to reduce bias, adjusting follow-up questions based on initial responses.