According to a survey from CareerBuilder, 29% of employers have caught fake references on candidate applications. Additionally, 62% said that when they contacted a reference listed on an application, the reference didn’t have good things to say about the candidate. Other findings include: 15% of workers reported that they have listed someone as a reference, but didn’t tell that person; 80% of employers said they do contact references when evaluating potential employees; 16% of these employers will contact references even before they call the candidate for a job interview; 69% of employers said they have changed their minds about a candidate after speaking with a reference, with 47% reporting they had a less favorable opinion and 23% reporting they had a more favorable opinion; and 31% said references haven’t swayed their decisions on a candidate. The study was conducted by Harris Interactive and included 2,494 hiring managers and human resource professionals.
