Go further than reading a person’s references. It’s such a fag, such a bloody nuisance, such a pain in the neck, to go well beyond the references and CV you’ve received, isn’t it? And yet it pays. Make an appointment with a potential employee’s last company or with a supplier’s other customers. Go and see someone there. Make nicey-nicey. Listen hard. You will discover more about your potential employee or supplier in a few minutes in this way than in hours of conversation with them.
