What is the purpose of a reference check?
A candidate may show great qualities on their resume and during an interview. Contacting a job candidate’s references will help you better understand what it’s like to manage and interact with your potential new employee and determine how well they will fit within the culture and fulfill their job duties. You can ask specific reference check questions to uncover the information you need.
Related: How to conduct conclusive reference checks
Why you should check references
When interviewing candidates about their employment history and past professional experiences, their answers can be biased 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 to check a candidate’s references:
- Validate resume information. A reference can verify whether the candidate has the job experience and skills they claim.
- 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.
- Identify strengths that may better position the candidate for the role. A reference can share unique skills and abilities the candidate may not have shared or further validate those they did share.
Related: How to Hire Employees: A Step-by-Step Guide
5 Important reference check questions
Your questions will determine how well you can uncover the information you need to make the right hiring decision. Here are five reference check questions you can use to help determine whether the candidate you’re pursuing is the best fit for the job.
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What was it like to work with this candidate?
This question will prompt the reference to share their day-to-day experience working alongside or managing the candidate. Their response can shed light on things like 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 information will give you a better idea of how well this candidate will fit in with the rest of the team.
Related: How to Screen and Manage Candidates with Indeed for Employers
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What are this candidate’s greatest strengths?
While the candidate has likely already shared their strengths, abilities and skills with you, colleagues and managers may see a team member’s strengths differently. Often, the qualities others notice are the ones we exhibit the most. By asking this question, you can identify which skills and abilities to expect the candidate to display most often.
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What were this candidate’s biggest areas of opportunity while you worked together?
Everyone has weaknesses and skills they need to improve, so it is important to ensure a candidate’s shortcomings don’t conflict with critical elements of the job. Asking this question will help clarify specific areas the candidate may need to address to meet their full potential. Consider the length of time that has passed since the reference worked with the candidate, as they may have overcome these weaknesses in the meantime.
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What was one of this candidate’s best accomplishments while you worked together?
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 allow references to reflect on moments when the candidate leveraged their strengths, displayed unique skills or overcame a difficult challenge. This information can provide you with insight into how the candidate may behave when faced with similar needs and challenges at your organization.
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If you could hire this candidate again, would you? Why or why not?
This simple question may be the most critical one on the list. A reference who would rehire someone shows the candidate is honourable and adds value to a team. If a reference would hesitate to hire a candidate again, it could be a warning sign. Before making your decision, be sure to understand the reference’s reasoning behind their answer.
Related: Recruitment and Selection: How to Choose the Right Candidate
Asking useful questions when conducting a reference check is an integral part of the hiring process and can help you uncover information about a candidate you may not otherwise discover. By asking the right questions, you can better understand the individual you’re considering and determine whether they’re the best fit for the job.
Frequently asked questions about conducting a reference check
Why you should ask employer reference check questions
A reference check can verify that the candidate does have the experience and skills on their resume, including their willingness to meet and overcome challenges. Pay attention to the professional link between candidates and their references. While a peer’s perspective is valuable, a manager may be more likely to have a comprehensive understanding of their impact on the company.
Should you ask reference check questions by phone or email?
Although you can conduct reference checks by email, a reference’s tone of voice and gaps in their responses might tell you how they truly feel about a candidate. Regardless of how you contact each reference, the questions listed above should help you make a more informed hiring decision.
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