'Backdoor' Job References Are Used to Counter AI --- What your former co-workers think of you could land you a job or torpedo your chances

 

 

“There are the references you list on your job application. Then there are the people whose opinions of you really matter.

 

Almost everyone can cherry-pick a few former colleagues willing to say nice things about them. Getting candid assessments, some companies believe, requires quietly contacting a different set of past managers and co-workers.

 

These "backdoor" references have long played a role in hiring, especially for senior roles. Now that job candidates are using artificial intelligence to write resumes and coach them through virtual interviews, businesses are desperate for human insight. So they are leaning in to backdoor references more than ever.

 

"They've become a lot more important," says headhunter Mark Toscano. "The tools that people are using to present themselves in the best light possible are the same reason that companies are resorting to these backdoor references."

 

How deep can the back channel go? Asking around in recruiting circles, I heard about a man whose candidacy was doomed by a thumbs-down from his stepmother, who worked in the same industry.

 

And you thought spiteful stepmothers wreaked havoc only in fairy tales.

 

Cinderella-style villains aside, companies doing their diligence might reach out to people you wish they wouldn't. Because this often happens in secret, you might never find out who helped or harmed your chances.

 

Toscano says he tries to balance discretion and disclosure. Without naming names, he tells candidates that he plans to ask ex-colleagues about them, and offers a chance to respond to criticism.

 

Current co-workers are off-limits because he doesn't want applicants' employers to know they are thinking of jumping ship.

 

Not everyone follows the same code, which makes backdoor reference-checking a polarizing practice.

 

Sales executive Joe Fontana thought he had a job in the bag, until his would-be employer contacted one of his former direct reports. Fontana had fired the man -- for good reason, he insists -- and the ex-employee took revenge with a scathing review.

 

Fontana says he found out what happened through a third-party recruiter; otherwise, he wouldn't have known why an offer didn't come.

 

The experience taught him to weigh word-of-mouth carefully. But it doesn't stop him from using backdoor references in his current role as chief marketing and growth officer at BuyerForesight, which helps client companies find sales leads. The intel on prospective hires is too valuable.

 

While the potential for score-settling makes job applicants sweat, it isn't as if people are constantly backstabbing one another.

 

"I've actually seen backdoor references help people more often, as opposed to being a detriment," says independent recruiter Kelli Hrivnak.

 

When you and other candidates have similar qualifications, a strong endorsement can push you over the top.

 

Hrivnak generally doesn't conduct backdoor references herself. More often, leaders at the companies that retain her tap their own networks. A common scenario involves an executive calling up a former colleague who happened to work with one of the leading job applicants in the past.

 

This is your regular reminder that it's a small world.

 

You might not like the idea of people talking behind your back, but ask yourself: If you applied for a job and knew someone who worked for the hiring manager, would you contact that person on the sly to get the lowdown? Of course, you would.

 

The uptick in backdoor reference-checking reflects a growing problem in hiring: People on both sides of the recruiting game can't trust each other.

 

I wrote recently about scammers who steal recruiters' identities to hustle job seekers out of money or personal information. LinkedIn says it is beefing up scam-detection efforts but can't catch everything.

 

Meanwhile, some companies report that applicant fraud is rampant.

 

"We see the whole spectrum, from lying a little bit on your resume all the way up to corporate espionage and cyberattacks," says Daniel Yanisse, chief executive of Checkr, a company that conducts background checks and identity verifications.

 

At Zapier, which helps businesses automate and track their AI usage, an audit revealed more than three-quarters of the applications for a recent senior-engineering opening were fraudulent. The company and others like it -- global, fully remote -- are targets, says Tracy St. Dic, Zapier's global head of talent.

 

In this environment, Zapier did an about-face. It had de-emphasized references because they can be time-consuming. The recruiting team also felt confident in its ability to assess candidates' skills.

 

But about 18 months ago, Zapier started requiring hiring managers to have at least one live conversation with a reference before making an offer.

 

Filling a senior role can involve calls to as many as 10 references, including backdoor or "off-book" references, as Zapier calls them. Candidates are told this will happen and can provide do-not-call lists to ensure privacy.

 

"We have to do this because unfortunately we can't just rely on what a candidate says anymore," St. Dic says. "We want to understand their impact and their work, and the best people to speak to that are the people who actually worked with them. That has become more important in this era of fraud than I've ever seen."

 

If you need another reason to treat co-workers well, then here it is. People you managed or reported to years ago could hold your future job prospects in their hands.” [1]

 

1. On The Clock: 'Backdoor' Job References Are Used to Counter AI --- What your former co-workers think of you could land you a job or torpedo your chances. Borchers, Callum.  Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y.. 15 June 2026: A12.