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10 Vital Reference Check Interview Questions for Managers

Reference checks and the questions you ask during them serve as a crucial phase of the hiring process. They offer you insights into a candidate’s background that he or she might not have the perspective or willingness to provide on their own. That doesn’t necessarily mean candidates have anything to hide. It may mean that the employer saw things through a different prism, or the candidate may not understand the full value that they provided.

In any case, you are likely to find out vital information about your top prospects for key roles when conducting well-planned reference checks that include the right questions.

In this blog post, we’re talking about the value of reference checks and the questions you should ask to get all the information you need to make the best decision for your company, customers, and employees.


Related: Running a Reference Check: A Guide for Hiring Managers


What Are Reference Checks?

Reference checks offer you the opportunity to speak with a candidate’s past employers, co-workers, and educators to give you deeper insights into someone’s background and character. (They are also known as character references.)

Many employers proceed with a reference check during the latter stages of the hiring process, specifically after a successful interview process. If you are seriously considering hiring a candidate, you may want to reach out to noted individuals.

One reason hiring managers wait so long to conduct this step is because they need to speak to the referenced individual via telephone call or, increasingly, via a Zoom or Microsoft Teams chat. It’s important to be considerate of this individual’s time, so saving it for the latter hiring stages makes sense. It also serves as a way to confirm the candidate’s cited history and your findings when conducting a pre-employment investigative screening.

Reference checks involve verifying a strong candidate’s knowledge, qualifications, and character.

Who Conducts Reference Checks?

Not all employers conduct reference checks, but many do, especially in the following industries:

The reason these industries are more likely to conduct reference checks is that they feature heightened security, confidentiality, and high financial stakes.

However, reference checks aren’t limited to these industries! All employers can—and should—reach out to previous co-workers, employers, and instructors to find out more about promising candidates.

Why Reference Checks Are So Important to the Hiring Process

According to a July 2018 study conducted by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), 92 percent of organizations conduct pre-employment stage background checks. That means that employers are attuned to the need to vet candidates with research-based screenings.

But what about conducting interviews with previous employers? This phase of the background check process has the potential to offer a more anecdotal and personalized account of someone’s history, abilities, and character, which is what you, your customers, and your employees will deal with on a daily basis.

A thoughtful reference check is a great way to avoid making a bad hire, but it can do much more than that, including the following:

  • Allows you to verify information
  • Provides insight into work performance
  • Gives a behavioral assessment
  • Ensures a good cultural fit
  • Confirms reported skills and qualifications
  • Identifies potential concerns or problems
  • Predicts performance
  • Reduces hiring risks
  • Enhances perspective and objectivity during the evaluation process
  • Improves and guides the onboarding process

Prepare for a Reference Check

After you have arrived at the point in the hiring process when you want to conduct a reference check, a little preparation goes a long way.

Start by informing the candidate and obtaining their consent for you to proceed to ensure professional transparency throughout the process. Further, gather all the information you have about the candidate and their references, such as the relationship with each one. By taking these steps, you can tailor your questions for the most effective answers.

Finally, develop a set of reference check questions to obtain the most important information to benefit your company, customers, and fellow employees before making a final hiring decision.

Download our Free Onboarding Checklist for Hiring Managers. Keep track of your onboarding tasks to help make the onboarding process great for your new hire.

10 Reference Check Questions

Now that you know more about what a reference check is and why it is so important, it might help you to know what questions you should ask to get the most valuable information from each referenced individual.

Here are 10 reference check questions for you to consider asking about your most promising candidates.

1. What was the candidate’s job title, job description, and standard duties?

Start with the basics, getting information including the following:

  • Applicant’s full name
  • Last contact with the former employer, colleague, or educator
  • Dates of employment or attendance at an educational institution
  • Nature of job or studies and job title
  • Details about how the candidate performed
  • The reason for the candidate’s departure

It may seem unnecessary, but you’ll want to make sure you’re talking about the exact same candidate.

2. How would you describe the candidate’s collaboration and teamwork skills?

The answer to this reference check question will help you determine the candidate’s ability and willingness to jump in and become a vital member of the team. It’s important to find out how cooperative a candidate is, regardless of how solitary their prospective job with your company is.

3. Can you provide examples of the candidate’s problem-solving abilities?

You’ll want to find out how resourceful the candidate is. You can understand whether they will need frequent assistance or if they are happy to tackle some problems, or the problems of co-workers or the organization, on their own.

4. What were the candidate’s major strengths while working for your company?

This classic question can help to see if the candidate’s report aligns with a previous employer’s assessment. It is an especially important question if their success hinges on a reported strength.

5. Were there any areas where the candidate needed improvement? If so, how did they deal with their challenges?

Many employees have weak spots or areas that need some improvement. The important part is how they handled it, and a previous employer can offer valuable insights about how resourceful the candidate was and if they were willing to reach out for help when they exhausted their own ideas.

6. Do you remember a specific project where the candidate provided noteworthy contributions?

This reference check question is where you can find out about a candidate’s accomplishments from someone who knows and benefited from them.

7. Was the candidate open to constructive feedback, criticism, and recommendations for professional development? How did they handle the feedback?

No employee is perfect, and it is important to know how they handle constructive feedback. The reference should be able to provide insights into the candidate’s ability to take constructive feedback and turn it into a positive, ensuring they made improvements when necessary. If you discover the candidate doesn’t handle constructive criticism well, it’s a chance to dig deeper to understand if it is something you can manage if they come to work for you.

8. What was the candidate’s general communication style? How did they interact with management and other superiors, co-workers, and customers?

Understanding a candidate’s interpersonal skills is vital to ensuring commitment to your workplace culture, especially if you require an upbeat approach to collaboration and teamwork. This question also helps you understand the following:

  • Team dynamics
  • Leadership potential
  • Adaptability
  • Cultural fit
  • Conflict resolution
  • Customer relationship building
  • Client management
  • Project management

9. Was the candidate open and adaptable in various work situations?

While you may have a strong team environment, sometimes your team members will need to work independently. Ensure that the candidate can work in either circumstance effectively.

10. Were there times when the candidate went above and behind their job title and responsibilities?

It’s always good to know when employees are willing to do more than is required if it benefits the company, coworkers, and customers.

Additional Questions to Ask References

There are plenty of other relevant reference check questions you might ask prospective employees, like these:

  • How did the candidate handle tight and other high-pressure deadlines?
  • Did the candidate have strong organizational skills?
  • Did the candidate handle change in the company well? More specifically, how did they manage new processes, leadership, and organizational shifts?
  • How did the candidate incorporate constructive feedback into their work?
  • Could you elaborate on the candidate’s ability to prioritize and manage tasks efficiently?
  • Did the candidate participate in training and educational opportunities for professional development?
  • How did the candidate handle disagreements and conflicts?
  • Did the candidate exhibit leadership qualities? If so, could you provide examples?
  • Was the candidate open to cross-functional training and diverse teams?
  • Did the candidate exhibit technical skills relevant to their role? Were they willing to take on new technical skills to enhance their job performance?

Reference Checks Help Flesh Out the Details You Need to Know About Your Candidates

Do you feel more comfortable with conducting reference checks now? Do you believe the answers to these questions will help you make the most informed decision about candidates?

If you need more assistance and insights, our Insight Global team can help you manage the whole hiring process—including the interview process. Even better, we work with a pool of talented and vetted candidates in multiple industries to help expedited reference-related matters.

Contact us to learn more about our candidates, our approach, and how we can make hiring easy.

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