By Mike McSally
After years of tail winds and outliers that both the job seeker and staffing firms benefited from, the past three years have been a reality check for most. The industry bounced from one end of the spectrum to the other. During the boom years the theme of “we are too busy and we don’t have time to do that” dominated the airwaves. Now that is being replaced with, “things are on hold as we need to see how things are going to play out with the economy.” As an industry, we’ve been waiting for the rebound for years now and for most sectors, we’re still waiting. The dance continues but one must ask…
When should a firm become maniacal around quality and what can we do during a slow period to accelerate and add value during the rebound?
Don’t get caught in the “waiting for perfect conditions” fallacy to go all in on the most important core competency you get paid to deliver on. Now more than ever you should be exploring every opportunity to add value to your customers and candidates. And if there is a technology to assist you with that, TAKE ACTION. One of the key pillars of being relevant is taking action. When you couple authenticity (thinking and doing for yourself) and taking action, you become more relevant and resilient.
Over the course of my 30+ years in this business, I’ve heard every excuse, rationalization, and hot take on why tried-and-true measurements of candidate quality – like reference checks – are no longer necessary. “They don’t tell you anything you don’t already know.” “It’s just a rubber stamp.” “No one gives a bad reference anymore.” “We’re moving too fast to slow down for that step.” And my personal favorite: “It’s just not worth the time.”
Let me be clear: I disagree — wholeheartedly, unapologetically, and still, after decades of doing this work — I still find myself stunned that something so core to making sound hiring decisions is treated as optional. Quality is not a sometimes thing. It’s not a “nice to have” when time permits. It’s not a luxury to be indulged in only when hiring for the C-suite. Quality should be the bedrock of every hire. And yet, in an industry that talks endlessly about getting the right people on the bus, far too many are willing to skip the one step that could tell them if the person even knows how to drive.
If you want to predict the future, study the past. That’s not just a catchy phrase — it’s a principle of due diligence. Human behavior is remarkably consistent. How someone treated their last team, handled pressure, responded to feedback, or led through change is a far better indicator of future success than a polished resume or a flawless interview. A quality reference check is not a checklist. It’s not three emails asking if someone worked at a company. When you’re working with a strong performance insight platform like RefAssured, a reference check is an informed assessment — thoughtful, probing, respectful — designed to uncover patterns, understand context, and ultimately, reduce risk. And we NEED reduced risk right now, folks.
Imagine if the airline industry adopted the mindset many in the hiring world now endorse: “We’re too busy to run full safety inspections today.” “Margins are tight, let’s skip some of the standard checks.” “Most of the time it’s fine.” If that sounds absurd — even dangerous — that’s because it is. And yet, somehow in our own industry, where the costs of a bad hire can cripple teams, damage culture, erode trust, and destroy your client relationships (and with it, forecastable revenue), we still debate whether to engage with people who have actually seen the candidate do what they say they do.
If everyday research tells us that over 70% of resumes contain embellishments and over 80% of candidates admit to lying during interviews – something that’s gotten a lot easier to do with the help of AI – we just cannot afford to skip our due diligence. And if screening and due diligence isn’t a core competency of your offering, you’ll be replaced by a firm that can promise not to waste a client’s time.
About the Author:
Mike McSally is a recognized and accomplished business leader with deep expertise in aligning people, operations and technology. Mike has spent over 25 years with the largest recruitment/services firms in North America. He is known for his ability to understand customers complex business challenges and simplify solutions for the customer and the customer’s customer.