Your candidate nailed their interview. The team loves them. You love them, and you’re ready to sign on the dotted line.
It’s true that you’re in the home stretch—but you haven’t yet reached the finish line. First, you need to do a reference check.
If you have no experience conducting reference checks, this may feel like a daunting task. Not only are you calling people who are extremely busy (especially as you hire for more senior employees), but the calls themselves can eat hours out of your day. Plus, there’s the whole issue of what to ask.*
But learning how to nail your reference checks pays off. Attracting and retaining good people is the single biggest people-ops challenge small business owners report needing help with, according to our research—and a rushed or skipped reference check is one of the easiest ways to get a hire wrong.
So, how should you go about conducting a reference check that's truly useful? In this article, we’ll review the best sample reference check questions that will help you gain the best insights possible on your candidate.
A step-by-step guide to nailing the reference check
We chatted with Addy Roberts, former recruiting leader at Gusto, to hear about her go-to reference check questions—along with step-by-step advice on how business owners can make the most of these essential calls.
Step 1: Tell your candidate exactly who you want to talk to
Rather than having your candidate provide you with a list of random people to speak to, give them guidance on the references you’d like to chat with. Ideally, this list includes former managers, peers, and a direct report or mentee if applicable.
A quick email asking for references that spells out exactly who you're hoping to reach makes this easy to request. “This will ensure that you’re spending your time wisely and chatting with people who can give you the perspective you need to make an educated hiring decision,” advises Roberts.
It's also worth asking every candidate for the same categories of references (a manager, a peer, a direct report) and asking each reference roughly the same core questions. Staying consistent makes it easier to compare candidates fairly, plus it gives you a clean, defensible record if a hiring decision is ever questioned later.
Step 2: Call the reference, and make it clear what you want out of the chat
Say who you are, and why you’re calling. (You know, like how a phone call usually works.)
Don’t rush the call, and make it clear you want to have a full conversation with the person on the other end.
Then, tell the reference where your candidate is in the interview process. Roberts says this helps them understand why you’re taking up their time to connect. Here’s some language you can use:
Hi Jane. Thank you so much for taking time out of your day to chat. We’ve been talking to Matt over the past few weeks and are at the final stages of the hiring process, which is why I’m interested in talking to people who have worked with them. You worked closely together, is that right?
Focus on that last question. You want to make sure the reference worked closely enough with the candidate to give quality feedback on their overall performance. Follow up on that, too.
Could you tell me a little about how you two worked together and what your working relationship was like?
This will give you enough information to make sure they’re in a position to actually be a good reference. Sometimes, candidates will write down people they’re friends with, but haven’t actually worked alongside. You want to weed those references out quickly.
“This is exactly why it’s important to be specific with the candidate about who you’d like to chat with,” says Roberts. “Then they’ll provide you with references who can share relevant information and context.”
Step 3: Get specific about the role
Next, tell the reference about the role, and don’t stop at the job title. Dig into the job description to talk a little about the responsibilities involved and what type of output you would expect.
You should also describe specific skills and competencies your ideal candidate should have, like communication skills, technical skills, and software programs they should know.
Then, ask:
Based on what I’ve just described, do you think Matt would be a good fit here?
Listen carefully! By definition, references are picked by a candidate to give a positive response. Your job is to see if they hedge their bets on any one particular area.
It’s not always a completely negative thing if they do. A reference might say, “Matt was really great at X, but we didn’t really do much of Y.”
This alone gives you a lot of information to work with, and a cue to probe other references on your list for the information this reference can’t provide.
Step 4: Ask questions about what you’re looking for
No one likes this question: “What’s Matt like to work with?”
Instead, focus on tighter questions, especially ones that build on the anecdotes your candidate provided. For example:
Tell me about Matt’s experience with his direct reports. What kind of relationships did he have with them?
Tell me about Matt’s managerial style. Was he able to get people excited around a common goal?
How did Matt typically handle stressful situations when you worked together?
Matt doesn’t really have a lot of experience with X. How do you think he’d navigate this type of role?
Would you rehire Matt? Why?
What are some of Matt’s most impressive skills that might not be listed on his resume?
Notice how none of these are “yes” or “no” questions. The purpose of these calls isn’t to ask a reference if your candidate was telling the truth. Instead, they’re an opportunity to piece together a fuller story from multiple references.
And remember, getting answers from a diverse pool of references will give you a much more holistic image of a candidate’s strengths and areas for improvement than just talking to the person who wrote their performance reviews. Talking to a boss can tell you a lot about someone’s work ethic and attention to detail. Talking to peers and direct reports can tell you much more about a candidate’s soft skills: their interpersonal skills, adaptability, dependability, and integrity in situations where it doesn’t necessarily “count”.
Step 5: Zoom out
Too often, interviewers focus on the big, technical questions. It’s important to throw in some questions about what makes your candidate tick.
For instance, you could ask things like:
What motivates Matt?
What advice would you give Matt’s future manager to set Matt up for success?
“These are go-to questions for me, because they help you understand how to effectively onboard and empower your employee once they join,” says Roberts. “The responses you get are very insightful and give me a deeper perspective on a candidate’s motivations, time management, and working style.”
Step 6: Turn the reference into an advocate
In the event that your candidate needs a final push before signing an offer, references can be great influencers. In a best case scenario, a reference you spoke to will follow up with the candidate and say, “I talked to your future manager today, and they sounded great. I hope you get the job.”
“References tend to be former managers and mentors, and they’re generally people that the candidate trusts,” says Roberts. “If these key people think your position and company is exciting they can also help encourage the candidate to join.”
Look out for reference check red flags
So much of what’s discussed in reference check conversations is subjective, but watch out for these reference-specific flags, alongside the broader hiring red flags you're already tracking through the interview process. Roberts recommends to keep an eye (or ear) out for:
References who didn’t know they were references. “If the reference is surprised to hear from you, that is a flag in my book,” says Roberts. “The candidate should give their reference a heads up that you’ll be contacting them before handing out their contact information.”
References who don’t give you any specifics. Not only does this mean they didn’t work closely enough with the candidate (and that brings the candidate’s judgment into question for choosing them as a reference), but it might be worse. They might have negative experiences with the candidate and don’t want to share them, because it doesn’t feel great to prevent a person from getting a job.
First-hand accounts that differ from the candidate’s. Any inconsistencies in dates of employment, job responsibilities described, or overall accounts of job performance are obviously a red flag, since you don’t have much to go off.
References that are too positive. No one can be overwhelmingly amazing with no flaws. Watch out for references that lean too far in this direction, because it shows that the reference may not have enough context.
Remember, you can always ask the reference if there is anyone else you should speak with. The more context you get for the candidate, the better.
Interviewing is intense, and checking references can be too—if you’re doing it properly, that is.
But remember, as a business owner hiring employees, you probably trusted your gut at least a few times along the way. Don't abandon it now. Once your references confirm what your gut already told you, it's time to put the offer in writing and get your new hire started off right.
* Some states restrict what former employers can disclose or what you can ask (think salary history bans or defamation-liability concerns that make many companies "verify dates only"), so be sure to double-check the laws where you are to make sure you’re staying compliant.
FAQs
What questions should you ask during a reference check?
Ask specific, open-ended questions instead of yes-or-no ones: how the candidate handled stressful situations, what their management style was like, and whether the reference would rehire them. Building questions around concrete anecdotes from the interview—rather than vague prompts like "what's this person like to work with"—produces answers you can actually compare across references.
How many people should you contact for a reference check?
Most hiring teams check with three references: a former manager, a peer, and, when relevant, a direct report or mentee the candidate managed. Talking to a mix, rather than just whoever wrote the candidate's performance review, gives a fuller picture of both their technical performance and their interpersonal skills, adaptability, and reliability.
What are the biggest red flags in a reference check?
The clearest red flags are references who seem surprised to be contacted, references who can't offer specific details about working with the candidate, and references whose account of dates, responsibilities, or performance doesn't match what the candidate said. A reference that sounds uniformly, unrealistically positive with zero areas for improvement is also worth a second look.
Can a former employer refuse to give a reference?
Yes. Many employers instruct staff to share only a former employee's dates of employment and job title, largely to limit legal liability, and some states add further restrictions on what can be disclosed. A guarded reference isn't necessarily a red flag on the candidate; it may just reflect a former employer's policy, so lean on your other references for fuller context.
Should you do reference checks before or after extending a job offer?
Reference checks should happen before you extend a formal offer, once a candidate has cleared final interviews and you're seriously considering them. Checking first lets you catch concerns while you still have flexibility, and enthusiastic references can even help convince a hesitant candidate to accept once you do make an offer.
Quick note: This is not to be taken as tax, legal, benefits, financial, or HR advice. Since rules and regulations change over time and can vary by location, consult a lawyer or HR expert for specific guidance.
