Reference-Checking Techniques

When I ask candidates for references, I generally don’t direct who I want as a reference. I want to see whose opinion they think I will value. If I am underwhelmed by who they provide, I will tell them we need their manager(s) and senior team members to vouch for them.

I will also recommend scheduling the call for thirty minutes. You don’t want the call to run short without getting what you need.

The key to a successful reference strategy is to build a rapport with the reference. To achieve this, I start by explaining who I am and describing the role in detail. I’ll include a bit about the culture and the environment so the person has a picture in their mind of what the candidate will be walking into. And I reassure the person giving the reference that the questions aren’t pass/fail scenarios but are designed to help identify where the candidate will thrive best. Then I encourage them to share their feedback openly.

Essential Questions and Why They Matter

You’re looking for direct answers as well as subtle cues about fit, capabilities, and potential red flags. Here are some essential questions I always make sure to hit:

• How long did you work with the candidate? This reveals actual overlap time versus company tenure. If a candidate worked somewhere for three years but their reference only overlapped three months, that’s worth exploring.
• What was your relationship with the candidate? This helps clarify the context and depth of the reference’s knowledge of the candidate.
• How do you rate their ability to comprehend, analyze, and solve problems? This is especially crucial for early-stage and smaller companies where employees might be expected to have strong critical thinking skills.
• How do they respond to crises? This is critical to understanding how the candidate addresses stress. Can we expect them to flex their creativity, or will it take some time for them to feel confident?
• Do they work better collaboratively or independently? Some companies are highly collaborative, while others take a more heads-down approach to work. This question helps to align the individual with how your organization operates.
• Did they meet or exceed expectations? Where can they improve? Push past canned answers like, “They work too hard.” Ask the reference what area they think you can help the candidate with as they move forward in the next phase of their career. Knowing if there is something that you can’t help them through will be a determining factor.
• What organizational attributes help them succeed? This is really where we start to understand the cultures the person will thrive in.
• How do they handle new situations with limited knowledge? Depending on your culture, you may want someone who will kick down doors, or you might appreciate someone who experiments and is eager to chime in with ideas from day one.
• What’s your most memorable experience with them? My favorite question, but don’t lead with it. By the time I get to this question, I hope to have built rapport with the reference. I am hoping to learn about a time when something went awry or when the candidate went above and beyond their regular call of duty.
• Would you hire/work with them again? While this could seem like a no-brainer, it allows the reference to gently come clean about a situation, problem, or personality trait that sticks out to them.
• Is there anything else a company considering hiring this candidate should know in order to help the candidate be most successful? This allows the reference to offer any last thoughts.

Mastering the art of reference checks will help ensure you’re not just hiring someone who can do the job but someone who will actually fit and succeed in your company. Because at the end of the day, that’s what we all want—for our hires and our companies to thrive.