Why you should check references

When you interview a candidate about their employment history and past professional experiences, their answers can be biased – even if they’re striving to be sincere – because they want to make the best impression possible. Getting the perspective of a third party who has worked alongside or managed the candidate can provide better insight into how the candidate behaves on the job and how well they performed previous job functions.

There are three primary reasons why you should check a candidate’s references:

• To validate CV information: a reference can verify whether the candidate has the job experience and skills they claim.
• To gain insight into the candidate’s work ethic: a reference can give you a glimpse into the candidate’s character, such as their willingness to work hard and meet challenges.
• To identify strengths that may better position the candidate for the role: a reference can talk about unique skills and abilities that the candidate might not have shared, or further validate those they did share.

Also, when asking candidates for references, request that they include at least one former manager. Although gaining colleagues’ perspectives is important, leaders are responsible for regularly evaluating their employees and can provide more details about the candidate’s job performance.

Five important reference check questions

The questions you ask will help you uncover the information you need to make the right recruitment decision. Here are five reference check questions you can use to help determine whether the candidate you’re pursuing could be a good fit for the job.

1. What was it like to work with this candidate? Asking this question will prompt the reference to share their day-to-day experience of either working alongside or managing the candidate. Their response can shed light on things such as their general attitude in the workplace, how they treated colleagues, how they performed their job duties and tackled assigned projects, and whether they were reliable and trustworthy. This will give you a better idea of how well this candidate may fit with the rest of the team.
2. What are this candidate’s greatest strengths? Although the candidate will have likely already shared their strengths, abilities and skills with you, colleagues and managers may see a team member’s strengths differently. Often, the qualities other people notice are the ones we exhibit the most. By asking this question, you can identify which skills and abilities you can expect the candidate to display most often.
3. What were this candidate’s biggest areas of opportunity for improvement while working together? Everyone has weaknesses and skills they need to improve, but it’s important to check that a candidate’s shortcomings don’t conflict with critical elements of the job you’re looking to fill. Asking this question will help clarify specific areas that the candidate might need to address to meet their full potential. Consider the length of time that’s passed since the reference worked with the candidate, as they might have overcome these weaknesses in the meantime.
4. What was one of this candidate’s best accomplishments while working together? It’s important to determine whether or not a candidate is someone who regularly goes above and beyond their prescribed duties before you extend an offer. Asking this question will give references the opportunity to reflect on moments when the candidate leveraged their strengths, displayed unique skills or overcame a difficult challenge. This can provide you with insight into how the candidate may behave when faced with similar needs and challenges at your organisation.
5. If you could hire this candidate again, would you? Why or why not? This simple question might be the most valuable one on the list. A reference who would rehire someone may show that the candidate adds value to a team. However, if a reference hesitates to hire a candidate again, it could be a warning sign. Try to understand the reference’s reasoning behind their answer before making your decision.

The reference check is an integral part of the recruitment process and can help you uncover information about a candidate you might not otherwise discover. By asking the right questions, you may gain a better understanding of the individual you’re considering and determine whether they’re suited to the job.