The 2nd Opinion Profile – an exciting addition to traditional referencing
When hiring a new employee or manager, finding the right candidate is essential. It’s an important but difficult decision. Because choosing the “wrong” one is costly, both in time and money. With the “traditional” recruitment process, candidates are assessed using a variety of methods, including interviews, case studies and personal profiles.
A smaller but very important aspect of the recruitment process is reference checking. While some trust their gut instinct completely, most people want to expand their decision making after the first round of interviews. And this is where references come into play. This is because references can give the hiring manager an increased insight into the candidate’s personality and job behavior.
Use the 2nd Opinion Profile if you want to...
- Have a quick overview of the consistency of the references’ views on the candidate’s job behavior and personality
- Have a good dialog tool between the hiring manager, the HR professional and the candidate that provides further clarity on the candidate’s qualifications for the position
- Have an overview of areas that may need to be explored further in the feedback and/or 2nd interview
- Have a referencing tool that saves time compared to regular referencing
Facts about the 2nd Opinion Profile
- Scope: 114 questions for respondents
- Target Audience: References or employees provided
- Number of respondents: Up to 3 respondents/references can be assigned
- Answer: Approx. 15 min.
- Feedback (to the candidate): 30 min. – 90 min. (depending on desired yield)
- Reports: Graphical overview showing the references’ answers compared to the candidate’s. Can be included in the feedback or as part of the overall assessment of the candidate.
- Certification: Requires certification in PeopleTools Big6
Why take references?
The purpose of obtaining references from candidates is to clarify and verify the information and impressions gained during the interviews, as well as to get an assessment of the candidates’ professional and personal competencies from previous employers and colleagues.
The information and assessments a referee can provide are therefore a good supplement to the information gathered by the hiring committee during the interviews. A reference can complement and correct the picture of a candidate and confirm or deny the hypotheses and impressions that hiring managers have formed during the interviews.
The problem with "traditional" referencing
Although references can be a good supplement to the hiring committee’s impression of the candidate, reference taking is still considered a relatively uncertain source of knowledge about the candidate’s actions and competencies (Kahlke & Schmidt, 2000).
References can be considered a relatively unreliable source, as many referees will tend to be primarily complimentary. In addition, the candidate will most likely appoint referees who are likely to speak positively about the candidate. Therefore, the hiring committee should consider whether the given referee can be considered a reliable source or whether other/additional referees should be obtained
PeopleTools 2nd Opinion Profile
PeopleTools 2nd Opinion Profile focuses on this issue. The profile takes traditional reference taking to a new level and can streamline the recruitment process. With the 2nd Opinion Profile, it is possible to connect up to 3 respondents to a new or existing Person Profile.
The purpose of the 2nd Opinion Profile is to get a picture of how the person is perceived by others. The profile can be used in e.g. recruitment processes as a supplement to traditional reference checking or for talent development.
The basis for a 2nd Opinion Profile is a PeopleTools Person Profile that the candidate has filled out. With the 2nd opinion Profile, respondents/references will be asked to respond to 150 statements based on how they perceive and experience the candidate’s behavior and preferences. The 2nd Opinion profile overview shows the candidate’s self-assessment and the respondents’ (anonymous) assessment of the profile’s 15 factors.
Are you ready for certification?
To use the 2nd Opinion profile, you must be certified in PeopleTools’ Profile Tools. With one certification, you get access to all PeopleTools’ Profile Tools.
We regularly hold certifications in both Jutland and Zealand, where we prepare you to use the profile in practice. You can read more about our certification and find a selection of dates Want us to help your business get started?
