How To Spot A Fake Reference
When hiring new staff for any role, good references are key in the decision-making process. When hiring someone to take care of your children, outstanding references are absolutely vital. You can gain an enormous amount of crucial information from diligent reference checking, and separating the goods from the fluff is an art form
Here at Adventure Nannies, thousands of applicants apply to our positions each year, and we have seen it all when it comes to references. Unfortunately, listing friends or family members as fake references is a fairly common practice for inexperienced, out-of-the game, or recently unemployed applicants. Here are three sure-fire ways of spotting a fake.
The Age Check
The age check. In the beginning of the reference call, ask how old the person’s children were when the applicant started working them. After the course of your questions and follow-up questions, casually ask how old the kids are now. A fake reference will often hesitate before answering or list an inconsistent age, whereas a parent (usually) will not need a moment to remember the ages of their own children.
Cyber Screening
Cyber screen the reference the same way you would a candidate. Google their name, phone number, and e-mail to see what comes up. Check them out on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter to see if the person you’re speaking with is, in fact, a mother of three from the Upper East Side. This may sound like a lot of extra work, but it only takes a few minutes to spot a fake this way.
Play Detective
Become a detective. If stock statements and lack of clarity during follow-up questions have you feeling suspicious, go rogue with some secret agent inspired moves. Here are a few options:
- Get some details of the job wrong during the conversation and see if they correct you.
- Ask them for advice on the employer – specific situations (which payroll service did you use? How did you find them? How did you handle sick days?) Etc.
- See what they suggest when you ask about location-specific activities. “During your summers on Nantucket with _____, where were their favorite places to take the kids?
In conclusion…
Spotting a fake reference can take some serious ninja skills, but it’s important to be vigilant about it, especially for roles involving the care of children. The most important tip for reference checking is trusting your gut. If you aren’t getting a good read from a reference, move on to a new candidate or ask for more references.
Career Consequences
For nannies, the consequences of providing a fake reference can be devastating to your professional career. If you are concerned that you do not have enough childcare references for a position at Adventure Nannies, we encourage you to find other opportunities to bolster your childcare resume until you have enough experience and references to qualify for one of our amazing opportunities.
To learn more about Adventure Nannies, get in touch!