Prabir Jha
Aug 27, 2017 · 2 min read

Action Stations! Beware if you outsourced Hiring Reference Checks & Exit Interviews

In the last some days, I have had some experiences of firms that do “outsourced” reference checks for candidates. And my wife, who has recently quit her company, had one similar “ outsourced” agency do an exit interview call with her. All were in the context of senior leadership hiring or exits. These experiences provoke me to reflect on how we have trivialised serious intent. And that how superfluous both these “outsourced” efforts seem. The implications can then be imagined. Worse, all these firms are possible leaders in the space!

  1. They call and start as if we were just waiting for their phone to ring!! They struggle like most call centre experiences with pronouncing your name. The tone is an indifferent and irritating one. They finally ask you who we are??? Who do they think they had called in the first place? For exit conversations, the voice is low on empathy and rushed. Do we think the employee who has exited is even interested then to share? Do you really even want to continue with the conversation?
  2. 2. They rattle off with questions, barely waiting for the response . There is no secondary question, no clarificatory question. Wonder what data they get beyond a check sheet ritual. And we thought the government only had “Babus”.
  3. 3. They have no perspective to why they are doing what they are doing. It is just a 9–5 activity for them. No one there am sure has sensitised them about the implications of the shoddy work they deliver.
  4. 4. The conversation gets so inane and transactional that you finally just hang up. They then pester you incessantly and you just block them since it is such a waste of time.
  5. 5. And then one wonders, what report goes back to client companies. How do the companies process such data that is woefully superficial. And how does it then actually help to improve the quality of hiring or engagement. Maybe a colossal and misplaced effort and expense.

Am sure we will be told of the metrics in such outsourcing firms. But alas, my recent personal experiences ( not that it was the first time) makes me doubt the quality of such work. I hope leaders at these firms and the various client CHROs wake up to the risk they run. Outsourcing is not bad but the quality of people doing such sensitive jobs seems pathetic. We think we are saving pennies but we are actually risking dollars. The current state is perilous. And I hope people concerned are listening. And hopefully acting.

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    Prabir Jha

    Written by

    Global Chief People Officer at Cipla. Ex-CHRO at Reliance, Tata Motors, Dr Reddy's #CareerCoach #StraightFromTheHeart. All tweets/retweets are purely personal.