【考场题目回忆】：

Nowadays many job interviewers and employers are looking for various additional sources of information to better understand a job applicant. Which is the best way for the employers to better know the situation of a job applicant?

1. 询问候选人前雇主；Contacting previous employers the job applicant worked for and asking for further information； 

2. 查看候选人社交媒体和资料介绍；Checking the job applicant's profile on social platforms (such as social networking websites and social media) ；

3. 实习一个月; Letting the job applicant work for the company for a short period of time(1-month) and then decide whether to hire him permanently. 

Candidates'resumes cannot provide all the information employers need. Hence, to get a thorough understanding of the candidates, job interviewers and employers may turn to social platforms or their former employers for reference checks. However, neither of the sources can offergenuine and complete information. In fact, a short period of internship is the most desirable way to better know about the potential employees. 

During a job interview, asking personal questions, which is justifiable, may make candidates feel uncomfortable, not to mention the fact that it may be deemed as discriminatory. Checking out candidates’ social media presence across all major platforms like Facebook or LinkedIn for answers can avoid such awkwardness, meanwhile offering a better insight into their skills and experience. However, are posts and profiles online completely truthful? The answer is surely negative. In fact, as such information may reveal the candidates’ personal traits and their past performance, the dark sides of them like police records or irritable personalities are unlikely to be revealed. The worst case is that some shining points are fabricated to trick their potential employers. If such insincere information is not detected, which is highly likely, the company hiring such candidates may eventually suffer great losses. 

Contacting former employers the candidates worked for is less undesirable, and there seems no reason for them to give untruthful information. Nevertheless, it is not unlikely that the information collected is incomplete. This is because former employers are not obligated to answer the reference check questions, nor should they be responsible for any inauthentic descriptions. In this case, when contacted, former employers may respond in an offhand manner, giving bits and pieces of information that is irrelevant or insignificant. 

It thus follows that a short period of internship is the best way to find the best candidate for the job. After monitoring job applicants’ progress, employers can know about everything about them including their intelligence, skills, ability to cope with stress, social skills and weaknesses. More importantly, with some actual works accomplished, employers cangauge potential employees’ abilities and prepare them for future works, in case they will be eventually engaged. Not to mention, under close observation, candidates can hardly fake their performance and traits, and the information obtained is much more complete than the answers collected from previous employers. 

In conclusion, compared with social platforms and previous employers, an internship is the best way to know about job applicants.