This technique exposes you to a new pool of mediocrity. Sure, you're guaranteed exceptional candidates, but what how are they exceptional? Did they, in the pa

This technique exposes you to a new pool of mediocrity. Sure, you're guaranteed exceptional candidates, but what how are they exceptional? Did they, in the past, work for exceptionally abusive employers who need them back? (The new guy quit after his fourth month of unpaid overtime!) Did they work for exceptionally dimwitted individuals who can't measure their new workers? (The new guy doesn't understand the old system! Fred said it was SO EASY!) Did they do exceptionally niche work, where almost no other candidate will do ? (e.g. managing physical linotype inventory -- no one ever got our 'e' and 't' counts in the same place as Fred! His database management was magic!) Using former bosses as an uncalibrated barometer isn't very much better than phoning them up and trying to draw inferences from their tone of voice. Garbage in, garbage out. (But I bet it saves time on collecting your crap data.)