In the HR and recruitment side of any business, collecting references is the most crucial but also one of the most time-consuming endeavours you can be faced with. But what if we told you there is an easier way to check references? Well, with AutoRefs, there is now.
In this article, we will be telling you all about the best reference checking software available to you, AutoRefs. We will also be taking a look into the importance of reference checking, and how AutoRefs makes that process easier, by filling a gap in the market that surprisingly had not been addressed until the conception of AutoRefs.
Why is reference checking important?
Reference checking is an integral part of any operation of work, and has multiple reasons for it being beneficial to any business. Not conducting background checks can leave your business vulnerable to poor hires, but in some cases legal action, where background checking is necessary as part of recruitment compliance.
Reference checking is a way to ascertain if candidates are who they say they are and not stealing the identity of somebody else, or exaggerating their experience. Many people hustle corporates by manipulating their CVs to demonstrate their work experience, but in reality they had either no or partial contribution to the role. So by reference checking you can easily validate if they actually did what they said on their LinkedIn profile or CV.
Reference checking is a way to understand if potential candidates are the right fit for the work they are being recruited for, for example, by looking at their previous work experience and collecting first hand information from the candidate’s previous employer.
Maintaining the health and safety of other workers is also a key factor in reference checking, this is why background checks are necessary. Anybody with a serious criminal history, or a criminal history related to the work you facilitate (e.g a convicted thief applying for a role in sales with unlocked stock) or shown to be a health and safety liability in their previous work, may pose a risk to everyone currently working at the hiring company. That’s why in some lines of work, DBS checks are mandatory.
Pre-employment fraud can also be an issue which can mean your business wasting crucial money on candidates who lied about qualifications and previous work experiences. At AutoRefs we believe you should have all the true and necessary information to be able to make an informed choice, which is what we aim to provide. So what exactly is AutoRefs?
If you are interested to know why reference checking is more important post COVID-19, our blog contains all the information you need.
Autorefs: The Modern HR SAAS for Reference Checking
AutoRefs is a SaaS (software as a service) product and a web based application. These days all companies deploy the use of SaaS to streamline operations and maximise efficiency. AutoRefs runs directly through responsive designed web browser, meaning clients don’t have to download desktop or mobile applications.
Due to it being on the cloud, AutoRefs gets rid of the need for applications to be downloaded and installed on individual computers within the business that uses it, reducing extra tasks that would normally be involved with installed applications such as upgrading software.
This frees up plenty of time for technical staff to spend on more pressing matters and issues within the company.
AutoRefs is an automated reference checking software that helps HR and recruitment teams collect, verify and manage references via a unified portal, as a cloud-based reference checking tool, it cuts out all the paperwork with a streamlined, online system that compiles all information that you require for your HR recruitment process..
Here’s how it works:
- Create a custom question profile with the questions you would like to ask the applicants previous employer.
- Send a reference request to the applicant
- The applicant provides referee details via a unique trackable link.
- The applicant’s chosen referees receive a secure link to verify their details and answer your questions.
As a result, this process skips several manual tasks:
- Communicating with the candidate
- Communicating with the referee
- Receiving references back disjointedly (email, Google Docs, Office 365, etc.)
All references and data are stored via cloud, accessible globally, so long as you have the login credentials for your AutoRefs account. Meaning that employers/recruiters etc can manage their references without having to necessarily be at the office, because it is not tied to an internal system.
Now that you know the basics of what AutoRefs is, let us explain why it is the best.
The best reference-checking software
AutoRefs is the most refined SaaS tool of its kind, infinitely scalable, as it is built for global sized recruiters with hundreds of thousands of candidates, but can still be used for small recruiters with hundreds of candidates due to the simplicity and personability of the system that has been implemented, this is evidenced by AutoRefs making it’s way into the hospitality sector.
Due to it being an automated referencing system, the amount of time taken to check a reference has been limited, this is because there is less time spent communicating between a company, the applicant, and the referee.
Unlike other cloud-based reference checking tools, AutoRefs is built for global recruiters with hundreds of thousands of candidates. Yet, the simplicity of the system makes it ideal for small recruiters with only hundreds of candidates.
With AutoRefs, you will realise the following benefits immediately:
- You will get a more concise, relevant and all around better applications, as you are able to customise the questions for your potential candidates to pertain to the specifics of your organisation.
- Applicants and referees are not required to make an AutoRefs account, they simply receive a secured link to respond to, saving time on their end by not having to download or sign up to anything. Thereby increasing the likelihood of a response from a reference.
- A reduction in the need to chase references
- Due to the customisation of questionnaires, there is no limit to the information you are able to require in order to know if a candidate is right for you. Making your application process more thorough.
AutoRefs was designed to be the most complete automated reference checking software globally. Features of AutoRefs include mean that the size of recuritment / HR department do not matter in using it. These features include:
- GDPR compliance
- Automated emails
- SMS Notifications
- Easy to use
- Web-based interface
- Unlimited user and teams for your organisation
- Questionnaire templates
- Create questionnaire profiles
- Create questions with multiple field types
- Custom branding
- Team management and user permissions
- Buy credits on monthly or annual subscription
- Helpdesk support
- 24/7 Live chat
- Training and tutorials
In addition, AutoRefs can also be used directly by candidates to request their own references from the relevant workplaces/people in order to strengthen their CVs and improve their job application.
Crucially, AutoRefs is affordable, available to pay-as-you-go, or offered on a subscription basis, it all depends on the scale of the company. Either way, AutoRefs has you covered.
AutoRefs is free to try, it’s a simplistic yet effective system, requiring very little learning to perfect, you can also book a demo on our website. To know a little bit more about why AutoRefs was created, have a read of our other blog posts.
So how easy is it?
Within this section, we are going to share some of the process that can be gone through by AutoRefs, process for candidates to provide a reference is straightforward and is as follows:
- A request is sent by the employer.
- Applicant receives a unique link via email/sms and then provides the referee details.
- Referee receives secure link via email, validates the details the applicant entered when requesting a reference and then answers any questions asked.
- Sign off on the reference provided by past employer.
Book a demo
We hope to have illustrated to you the need for a competent and efficient referencing system, whilst also showing you the clear benefits of investing in AutoRefs, and how its simplicity and features makes it the best reference-checking software around.
Still unsure how AutoRefs can help your company? Do you have any questions that you need to talk about? Not a problem we are here to help. You can send us a question via our contact page or alternatively you can talk to us via the live chat.
If you would like a demonstration of how AutoRefs works, our friendly team will be happy to provide you a demo. Schedule a call below.