Hire18 Speaker Preview: Lee-Martin Seymour

Thanks to ever-evolving technology, employers can digitally confirm many claims made by job applicants, but Australia’s Xref is looking to close that one stubborn gap still dogging recruiters…

As hiring processes become ever more automated, there’s one part of the process that’s remained stubbornly human, the part that makes it easiest for candidates to lie. One goal for Australia-based Xref is providing software to keep candidates accountable for their background and reference information, allowing companies to make more informed and less risky hires.

“Jobseekers may have the propensity to bend the truth slightly, perhaps add on some extra years or inflate their job title,” said Xref CEO Lee-Martin Seymour, “but the most worrisome behavior would be falsifying references.”

Having spent 17 years working in recruitment across various industries and geographies, Seymour developed a deep understanding of employment market demands and the industry’s biggest pain points. The idea for Xref came into being in 2011, scribbled, as so many brilliant ideas often are, on a cocktail napkin. Since then, the Sydney-based company has expanded into APAC, Europe, and North America, and now helps businesses around the world make smart, business-critical decisions based on data rather than a ‘gut feel’.

For hiring solutions related to references and background checking, join SmartRecruiters and speakers like Lee-Martin Seymour at Hiring Success 18, March 12-14 in San Francisco. Register here, and stay tuned for our full interview with Lee-Martin Seymour.