Case Study: Brown-Forman achieves rapid, multilingual global reference checks with SkillSurvey

A Global Approach to Reference Checking

Brown‑Forman, the global spirits company behind brands like Jack Daniel’s and Finlandia, needed a consistent, efficient way to manage reference checking across more than 135 countries. Talent acquisition teams wanted to use SkillSurvey’s Pre‑Hire 360 process globally but faced national labor laws and local regulations that prevented a uniform workflow, risking the loss of valuable candidate insights.

Launching multilingual support for SkillSurvey Reference let candidates and referees complete assessments in their native languages and enabled recruiters to request references earlier in the process so checks could be done before interviews. The change preserved best practices, informed onboarding (e.g., tailored development plans), and delivered strong metrics: average reference response time of 1.74 days, five references per candidate, and over 50% opt‑in to Brown‑Forman’s passive talent community.

Brown-Forman

Arelis Correa

Global Talent Acquisition Director