We called the client and told her we would be continuing the search for a good candidate to present. We thought it best that we pass on Sam. Yes, Sam presented himself quite well. But the reference said that was the very thing that caused him to fire Sam. He was all talk and delivered little.
Reference checks are a very crucial part of the executive search process.
When an executive search firm is used, it's because the company wants to save its own time and resources for what can be a time-intensive project. Reference checks are the icing on the cake and need to be done so that the savings realized in screening and interviewing candidates continue to be realized as you make certain what you've selected is not the curds but the cream of the crop. Used under License.