Wow...content that isn’t related to the Coronavirus...Yeah, we know. It’s everywhere. Let’s take a break, shall we? The weekend is only a few hours away and we can finally relax fully without work. Believe it or not, while some industries are putting the hiring process on hold, others are ramping up. And, if you’re one of the industries with an increased focus on hiring right now, it’s important not to hire solely based off of a referral from an employee.

That’s probably another shocking opinion, right? It’s true though. Employee references are great but they can spin a sticky web too. Certainly take those referrals and references into consideration - but really take the time with this person to see where their true allegiance lies and what their true intentions are - we’ll explain what we mean below..Check it out.

1. Where does their TRUE allegiance lie? - This is the big ticket concern right here. Where does their true allegiance come from? Is it to their friend or contact who referred them to you or is it to you? What happens if the person doing the referring gets fired or disgruntled and leaves...What happens to that referee? Are they going to mutiny and leave too or are they loyal to you and are willing to stay? How close are the two? Are they professional acquaintances or are they life-long college buddies? It’s something you should really consider...You never want to hire anyone with disloyal traits. Yes, they may have a glowing recommendation, but at what cost? What happens should it all fall apart?

2. Poor Diversity - Typically, when someone refers to another, it’s because they like that person. They resonate with them, find commonalities together, etc. While this is great to have like-minded individuals, it’s a risk to your diversity and inclusivity initiatives too. Why? Beamery.com says: “Employees tend to bring in referrals who are like them. Same socio-economic background, same career track, same community, values, and outlook on life. It’s easy to see how that could pose a risk to the diversity of your workforce. Based on a study by Payscale in the US, referrals tend to benefit white males more than other groups.” So, before you hire a referral from a current employee - consider their natural bias and also take a look at your current D&I initiatives in the office and really take a good, hard look at where you are currently and where you want to be and if this potential hire is really going to help you or hurt you in the long run.

3. Networking vs. Job Skills - This is another issue that is common when hiring referrals - are you hiring them to expand your network or are you hiring them for their skills? In a blog by Kristina Lustig, hiring referrals prioritizes networking instead of job skills. She has this to say: “To be good at research, or design, you don’t have to be good at networking. Those skills are not the same — they don’t even have meaningful overlap. We’re optimizing for the wrong things. Why do researchers and designers have to be good at networking to break into the industry?” It’s so true. Especially if this person’s skills don’t line up. Now you’re in an uncomfortable position and a tangled one at that because now you’ve involved your employees. It can get out of hand and way too sticky way too fast.

4. What are your plans for the future of the referee? - This final point wraps up the whole idea of the first point and comes back to the topic of loyalty. What are your plans for the person doing the referring? Are they on thin ice? Are you promoting them out of state? Is the person they’re referring going to replace them? It’s all something you really have to consider. You never want to have to keep one employee to avoid the risk of losing another. Loyalty should lie within the company or leadership. And, when that loyalty shifts - it can be tough to move forward from that.

Have you ever hired an employee based off of their referral from another? If so, how did it go? Did you run into any of these issues and if so, what did you do to handle it? Let us know!