How do I know if a candidate is trustworthy?

Trust is of high priority in the diamond sector. This is why working with loyal and trustworthy employees is key. How can you be sure that a candidate is trustworthy? A reference from a former employer can be decisive. However, be cautious. Due to privacy legislation, you are required to ask the candidate’s permission to contact his/her references, irrespective of whether or not the candidate has included them in his/her CV.

What information should you request from the referees?

• What is the relationship between the referee and the candidate? This question allows you, among others,  assess the value of the reference. If the referee worked closely with the candidate, you can place more value on the information provided.
• How long did the candidate and referee work together?
• What were the daily taks of the candidate? Does the list of tasks listed on the CV correspond to the tasks actually carried out?  Should the referee have little or almost nothing to communicate about the candidate, one should be cautious.
• Would the referee re-hire the candidate? This questions allows you to assess the qualities of the candidate. Pay attention to the ‘why’.
• What does the referee believe should the next steps be in his/her career? Here you can get an impression about the candidate’s ambition.
• Why did the candidate leave your company?

Finally, it is important to contact several referees to get an as complete picture as possible of the candidate.