The education was extensive and the references looked impeccable. But the candidate would not get the coveted CEO position. As incredible as it may seem, one of the candidate's own references blew the whistle on him. The referee suggested calling the CEO of a Fortune 100 company for whom the candidate had worked. The results confirmed the reference's allegations and the candidate was dropped from consideration.
Many questions arise.
We estimate it happens in at least 10 percent of cases. He is apparently counting on the friendship, goodwill or fear of liability of the references. We suspect quite often. The answer is that a good and thorough reference check needs to be done. And, as importantly, it must be done by someone who can speak with the references on a personal level.