Introducing AI Reference Summaries

When we first built Xref, the mission was to solve a major problem: the slow, manual, and unreliable process of traditional reference checks. We succeeded in making it effortless for you to gather high-quality, detailed feedback automatically. Today, thousands of organisations rely on our platform to collect rich insights from multiple referees with the click of a button.

But with great data comes a new challenge. You get so much valuable information that it can be time-consuming to find the most important themes and insights. Now, we’re taking the next step in our mission to solve your hiring challenges. We're excited to introduce a new tool that harnesses the power of AI to bring all that rich data to the forefront: AI Reference Summaries.

Building on a Foundation of Confidence

For over a decade, Xref has been the global leader in automated reference checks, earning a #1 Highest Rated and Easiest to Use rating  and enabling smarter, faster, and fairer hiring decisions for thousands of organisations. Our platform has always been about bringing intelligence to the forefront of the hiring process, from our proven reference checks and comprehensive background checks to our robust talent pool features.

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What are AI Reference Summaries?

AI Reference Summaries in Xref are a purpose-built feature that harnesses artificial intelligence to automatically and responsibly condense all reference feedback on a candidate. Instead of manually reading and comparing long referee comments, AI Reference Summaries do the work for you, presenting all the key insights in one clear, unbiased digestible summary.

AI Summaries help you quickly identify a candidate’s strengths, pinpoint areas for improvement, and flag any key points that stand out, so you can make more confident decisions with less effort.

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Where to See It in the Xref Platform

We’ve integrated AI Summaries seamlessly into your existing workflow, so you can start using it on your next reference check without missing a beat.

You will see the new summary feature in two key places:

1. Reference Overview: As soon as the first referee completes their feedback, you’ll find a consolidated summary on the main report page. This summary intelligently combines insights from every referee who has responded so far, providing a dynamic and holistic view of the candidate that updates in real-time.

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2. Individual Referee Report: Want to dive deeper? Each individual referee report will now also include its own tailored summary. This gives you a quick, at-a-glance view of that specific referee’s key feedback, allowing you to see their unique perspective in a matter of seconds.

Importantly, your ability to read the full, original text of every referee answer remains unchanged. The AI Summary is a layer of intelligence that supports your review process, never replacing the raw data.

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How It Works

The process is designed to be simple and effortless for both you and your referees.

1. Referees complete their reference: Your referees will answer your questions and provide their valuable feedback, just as they always have.
2. AI processes the responses: In the background, our AI system analyses all the text-based answers, identifying recurring themes, standout details, and key sentiment across all responses.
3. Summaries are generated instantly: Once the AI has processed the information, a consolidated summary (and individual referee summaries) will be ready for you to view instantly.

It’s a simple, elegant solution that transforms how you review reference feedback.

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Why It Matters: The Benefits of AI Summaries

• Speed: Go from pages of feedback to a single, clear summary in seconds. This dramatically cuts down on administrative review time, allowing you to move to a decision faster.
• Clarity: It’s easier than ever to spot consistent patterns. Are multiple referees highlighting a candidate's strong communication skills or a potential concern? AI Summaries will make these themes impossible to miss.
• Confidence: With a quick, clear view of all key insights, you can make more confident hiring decisions with less guesswork and less mental effort.

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Ready to Experience a Better Way to Hire?

AI Reference Summaries is now live in our Employer Intelligence Platform, designed to bring all your hiring insights to the forefront. Stop wading through pages of feedback and start making smarter, faster, and fairer hiring decisions with confidence.

Start your free trial today and see AI Summaries in action. Or, request a demo to learn more.