Adam Grant [Archive.org URL]

References can be a rich source of information to use to identify originals, but one of my big frustrations with references is that they’re always glowing. Nobody ever gets a negative review. You have to put references in a position where they have no choice but to be candid with you. The easiest way to do that is to give them forced choices of two undesirable attributes. Try asking: ‘From your vantage point, if this candidate were going to rock the boat too often or not often enough, which is more likely?’ If you phrase the question correctly, it’s not clear what the ‘correct’ answer is. But I’d suggest looking carefully at the ones who rock the boat too often as potential diamonds in the rough.

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