In the competitive and highly regulated insurance industry, the recruitment of senior leaders is a critical task that can significantly impact an organization’s success and reputation. One of the most essential steps in this process is conducting a thorough reference check.
A comprehensive reference check provides invaluable insights into a candidate’s past performance, leadership style, and ethical standards, which aren’t always evident from resumes and interviews alone.
By speaking with former colleagues, supervisors, and other professional contacts, insurance hiring managers can gain a deeper understanding of how a candidate has navigated complex challenges, driven strategic initiatives, and influenced organizational culture within their insurance career.
An effective reference check helps ensure that the selected leader not only possesses the necessary skills and experience but also aligns with the company’s values and long-term vision.
In this insurance insight, Martin Blake explores twelve key areas to consider when carrying out a reference check for a senior insurance leader, giving HR and people leaders the best opportunity to make informed and confident hiring decisions.
“Whether it’s one of our insurance executive search consultants or the client carrying out the reference check, it pays to start off by capturing some general background information”, says Martin.
“We start by asking some simple contextual questions such as:
- In what context did you work with <name>?
- What dates did you work together?
- How and why did you hire them?
- What were the circumstances in which they left your insurance business?
- Would you hire them again?
“There are then 12 areas we will delve in to. It’s highly unlikely we would focus on all of them. It very much depends on the role in question or areas of competencies highlighted by the client.
We’ll normally select 5 or 6 of the following topics and questions.”
- Leadership and Management Style
- Strategic Thinking and Decision-Making
- Influence and Stakeholder Management
- Adaptability and Change Management
- Innovation and Continuous Improvement
- Team Development and Talent Management
- Cultural Impact
- Results Orientation and Accountability
- Ethical Leadership and Integrity
- Vision and Long-Term Impact
- Communication and Influence
- Self-Awareness and Development
Leadership and Management Style
Reference Check Questions:
- How would you describe the candidate’s leadership style?
- How did it evolve during their time working with you?
“These questions aim to uncover an insurance executive’s approach to leadership.
We want to understand how their leadership style has adapted through their insurance career journey, reflecting their ability to learn and grow.
For instance, have they become more inclusive, empathetic and collaborative over time, or have they developed a more strategic and visionary approach?”
Strategic Thinking and Decision-Making
Reference Check Questions:
- Can you share an example of a significant strategic decision the candidate made?
- What was their process, and what was the outcome?
“The focus is to uncover a candidate’s ability to think strategically and make decisions that have a significant impact on their organization.
It’s important to unearth their decision-making process, including how they gathered information, weighed up options, and involved stakeholders.
The main outcome is to reveal their foresight and the effectiveness of the decision-making.”
Influence and Stakeholder Management
Reference Check Questions:
- How effective was the candidate in building relationships with key stakeholders, both internally and externally?
- Can you provide specific examples?
“We want to explore the candidate’s ability to build and maintain relationships with various stakeholders, such as colleagues, clients, or partners in a project.
Specific examples can demonstrate their skills in negotiation, persuasion, and conflict resolution, as well as their ability to foster trust and collaboration.”
Adaptability and Change Management
Reference Check Questions:
- How did the candidate handle major changes or challenging times within the organization?
- Can you describe their approach and the results?
“This examines the candidate’s resilience and flexibility in the face of change or crisis within their past insurance business.
When taking a reference checks, it’s crucial to detail the insurance executive’s approach to managing change, including how they communicated with their team, maintained morale, and ensured continuity of operations.
The answers will show their effectiveness in navigating challenging situations.”
Innovation and Continuous Improvement
Reference Check Question:
- Can you describe how the candidate drove innovation or continuous improvement within their team or the organization as a whole?
“This reference check question addresses the candidate’s ability to foster a culture of innovation and continuous improvement.
Topics to ask about include initiatives the candidate led to streamline processes, how they introduced new technologies, or encouraged creative problem-solving.
It’s all about clarifying the impact the candidate had on the organization’s growth and efficiency.”
Team Development and Talent Management
Reference Check Questions:
- How did the candidate contribute to the development and growth of their team?
- Were there any notable success stories or challenges?
“These questions delve into the candidate’s effectiveness in developing talent and managing teams.
It’s important to uncover examples of how they mentored and coached fellow team members, facilitated colleagues’ professional development, and addressed any challenges along the way.
Success stories can illustrate the candidate’s ability to build, lead and develop high-performing teams.”
Cultural Impact
Reference Check Questions:
- How did the candidate influence the organizational culture?
- Were there any specific cultural shifts that can be attributed to their leadership?
“Asking the above reference check questions will give insight into how the candidate’s personal values aligned with and helped to shape the organization’s culture and goals.
We’re looking for examples or initiatives where the insurance executive promoted or impacted diversity and inclusion, enhanced employee engagement, or fostered a collaborative working environment.
It’s all about highlighting their impact and the outcome of these initiatives on the organization’s culture.”
Results Orientation and Accountability
Reference Check Questions:
- How did the candidate ensure that their team or department met or exceeded performance goals?
- Can you provide examples of specific metrics or achievements?
“When we put these reference check questions to a referee, we want to evaluate the candidate’s focus on results and accountability.
It’s important to detail how they set and communicated KPIs and performance goals, monitored progress, and held team members accountable.
These specific metrics or achievements can illustrate their effectiveness in driving performance and achieving results for a future insurance business.”
Ethical Leadership and Integrity
Reference Check Questions:
- Can you tell me about the candidate’s integrity and ethical standards?
- Were there instances where they had to make difficult ethical decisions?
“These questions are crucial to help understand the candidate’s moral compass as well as how they’ve handled ethical dilemmas within their insurance career.
We want to gain insight in to difficult ethical decisions they’ve made and how they navigated these situations. This can provide insights into their honesty, integrity and commitment to ethical values and leadership.”
Vision and Long-Term Impact
Reference Check Questions:
- What long-term impact has the candidate had on the organization?
- How are their contributions still felt today?
“By asking these reference check questions, we are aiming to assess the lasting influence of the candidate’s work.
It’s important to capture initiatives or changes they’ve implemented that have had a long-term positive impact on the organization.
We want to understand their vision and ability to create sustainable value.”
Communication and Influence
Reference Check Questions:
- How effective was the candidate in communicating their vision and ideas to the team and the broader organization?
- Can you share an example where their communication had a significant impact?
“These examine the candidate’s communication skills and their ability to inspire and influence others.
It’s an opportunity to understand and highlight examples of how the candidate has effectively communicated their vision, motivated their team, or influenced key stakeholders throughout their insurance career.”
Self-Awareness and Development
Reference Check Questions:
- How did the candidate demonstrate self-awareness and a commitment to their own personal development?
- How do they receive feedback?
This allows us to explore a candidate’s level of self-awareness, willingness to grow, and openness to feedback.
“We’re looking for examples of how they sought out and responded to feedback, pursued professional development opportunities, and have demonstrated a commitment to continuous learning”, concludes Martin.
A reference check is an integral part of any insurance executive hiring process.
Asking the right questions can help you gather details or additional information about a candidate you might not otherwise discover in an interview.
Understanding what questions to ask references when performing a reference check can help you can gain a greater understanding of the applicant and learn whether they’re a good fit for the job.
Asking the right reference check questions can help uncover a great deal about the candidate and the value they can deliver to your organization.
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