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October 28 2013

Are Referees Still Important?

"LinkedIn endorsements, online recommendations and more fleshed-out social media profiles have become important elements of understanding a candidate and evaluating them for a position in today 's world - and all of these exist outside of the traditional resume. Due to these developments, some employers believe referees and references are no longer relevant to recruitment. ""Different social media profiles and other information that is kept up to date will provide a much richer experience than a [traditional] resume can,"" Bryce Dunn, senior vice president at PageUp People. Dunn elaborated on the activity of a candidate - such as their posts on message boards relating to the profession - being more telling of them and their skills than a resume. However, Nick Deligiannis, managing director of Hays in Australian and New Zealand, stated that online recommendations are not a substitute for traditional references. Recruiters and employers should still be looking at referees as the most complete and important sources of information on candidates, as they will be able to demonstrate how a candidate used their skills and experience to help benefit their previous employers."