Reference Checking Techniques

Most people get Reference Checks wrong! Here's how to get them right 👉🏻 Throughout my journey, I've had to make 1000s of hires and often struggled with evaluation through the standard interviewing processes. I read somewhere that ~60% senior hires go wrong even after the most meticulous processes so I wondered how to improve the odds. 🤔 What I discovered is that there's no substitute for spending time with the candidates and conducting ‘unnamed’ ref checks through your own network. But what I also learnt is that not every ref check is the same and you can end up with very different outcomes depending on how it’s done. So, through reading and experience, I came with the best practices that I christened with the acronym "PEARL", and here it is for the FIRST time🔥 P - Promise Reciprocity Busy professionals don't dole out intel freely. So, you must offer to return the favor – something as simple as “If ever you need my help for a ref check or otherwise, I'd be happy to help". A senior leader will immediately see its value & perhaps become more ‘available’ on the call. E - Ensure Confidentiality This is critical, especially in India. Candor is not part of our culture, so assure the referrer that you understand the sensitivity of this call and will keep it 100% confidential. Also that you'd expect the same if they ever choose to call you for a reference. If you still sense some hesitancy, maybe throw an ‘offer’ of a good-faith NDA. Don’t worry, nobody ever takes it up but it makes them less guarded. A - Ask questions that force specificity (close-ended & open-ended) Broad questions like – "How was their work ethic?" “Does she work hard?” - are a complete waste of time. You need to ask 2nd order questions that make it comfortable for the referrer to answer without feeling like they're maligning the candidate. For eg - “How do you think we can help the candidate grow?" is better than "Can you tell me about their weaknesses?” R - Retrieve critical insights Actively listen and probe for specifics. Did the candidate consistently meet deadlines? Why or why not? How did they handle pressure? Did they run towards solving problems or look for directions to carry out? These details paint a picture beyond the resume. L - Learn rehire potential And finally, the golden question – "Are you willing to re-hire or work with the candidate again? Why or why not?" Regardless of what the referrer may have said up to this point, most senior folks will have a hard-time giving you a false or misleading response to this one. This is the true gauge of the candidate’s potential and one I put a lot of weight in. To conclude, thank the referrer for their time, assure confidentiality again and commit to a quid pro quo. This leaves the door open for other ref checks you might wish to do in the future 😏 So, there you have it - A PEARL from my collection🙌🏻 Do comment with something that’s worked for you that I may have missed :) #hiring #startups #leadership

The Case for Maximal Referencing of PMs: In a past job, I worked with two product leaders with equal skill in building products. But they had completely divergent skills in hiring. One hired phenomenal PMs. They quickly grew to be company-wide favorite PMs due to their strong viewpoints. The other hired on paper phenomenal PMs. But they just weren’t right for the company. It’s not really a surprise the first got promoted - and the other left for greener pastures. 𝗥𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗰𝗸𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 One of the practices the first hiring manager swore by was lots of reference checking. She was a master of back channel reference checking throughout the interview process. And her reference checks were notoriously long. The other just did one reference check after he had already decided he was giving out the offer. 𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗽𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗶𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗱𝗶𝗱 𝗾𝘂𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗹 𝗶𝘀: 𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘤𝘬𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘩𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘯. I, too, have found it works really well. Nowadays, I’ve started to do these reference checks at three stages. Let’s break this approach. 𝗖𝗵𝗲𝗰𝗸 𝟭 - 𝗦𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲 Committing to a conversation with a candidate means I’ll also tap into: • Previous workplace colleagues • Mutual connections Direct collaborators get a call, a brief 10-minute check-in. My aim here is to pinpoint standout candidates that I really want to push through. 𝗖𝗵𝗲𝗰𝗸 𝟮 - 𝗣𝗼𝘀𝘁-𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲 The second reference check I like to do is post-interview. I’ll use this to 𝘷𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘺 of what people said in the interview. If the pass this second reference check, they’re almost ready to hire. 𝗖𝗵𝗲𝗰𝗸 𝟯 - 𝗣𝗿𝗲-𝗢𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲 The third and final reference check is the one most companies do. But I like to focus it on supervisors and skip levels. All PMs need to make an impact on leadership. This is the only round I actually use references supplied by the candidate. Everything else is back-channels. 𝗜𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝗮 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 “𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘈𝘢𝘬𝘢𝘴𝘩, 𝘐’𝘷𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘳𝘰𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘲𝘶𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘳!” I know that it seems a lot of work to add two stages of reference checks to your process when you probably only have the pre-offer stage right now. The thing is, getting your hiring right makes you much more impactful. But getting them wrong really hurts you. 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹 𝘆𝗼𝘂: 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗴𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸.

Questions I ask when checking references When hiring for key positions, our last step is speaking with references. A phase for the final-finalists. When I talk to a supplied reference, I'm curious about nuance, feel, and paradox, not the obvious stuff. Below is a question library I might pull from. • What's something that would surprise us about them? • Specifically, any areas where you were surprised they weren't as good as you expected with A, B, or C? Or much better than expected with D, E, and F? • What's the difference between how they interview and how they deliver on the job? • Is there a difference between how a boss, a peer, or a direct report would describe them? If so, what's the difference? • If you were at another company, would you absolutely hire this person again for a similar role? • Who do they naturally gravitate to inside an organization? Or naturally avoid? • What are they better at than they think, and, on the flip side, worse at than they think? • What sort of things do they do that often go unnoticed or are under-appreciated? • What don't they get enough credit for? • Can you tell me about the kind of people they've hired? • Do they leave disagreements on good terms? • Are they more curious or critical about what they don't understand? • What's the one thing nearly everyone would say about them? • What kind of company feels like a natural fit? And which kind would be a challenge? • Can you describe a time when they changed their mind? From what to what, and what caused the change? • What's the best thing about working with them? And the hardest? • If you could change something about them, what would it be? • Are they better working with what they have, or working with what they want? • When have you seen them get in over their head? And how did that turn out? • Have you seen them get better at something? Worse? • Do they make other people better? How? • Are they better at taking credit or giving credit? • Are they more likely to adjust to something, or try to adjust the thing? • Primary blindspot? And bright spot? • As well as you know this person, what do you think their secret career ambition is? • If they hadn't been at your company, how would your company have been different? • Can you remember a time you wished you had their advice on a decision, but you didn't? • Have they ever changed your mind? • What's the easiest thing for them to communicate? And the hardest? • How have they changed during the time you knew them? • Do you still keep in touch even though you don't work together anymore? • What do they need to be successful? • Why do you think we'd be a better company with them on board? • Who else should I talk to that would have something to say about them? There are many more, but those are among the things I'm most curious about. Feel free to take them, use them, tell me they're great questions, or terrible ones. Either way, I hope you found them useful.

It’s hard to get relevant information from reference checks if you don’t ask the right questions. Here are two I just heard and really like: 1️⃣ ”Is this person in the top 20% of people you've worked with?” This question provides a clear proxy. If the answer is yes, you should follow up with, "Top 10%? Top 5%?" Quantifiable questions like these elicit honest responses, making them highly effective. 2️⃣ ”How can I help them improve as their new manager?” This question prompts the previous manager to recall specific situations and examples, and thus provides valuable insights into what we can expect and how to best support the candidate. At Optiweb (after some bad experiences), we almost always do #referencechecks, especially for senior hires. Of course, we make sure that the whole process is completely discrete and take reference checks with a pinch of salt, but they are invaluable for providing a broader picture and preventing mismatches. What’s your stance on reference checks in the #hiring process? What questions do you find most insightful?

Stop Asking References Easy Questions. Get the Real Answers! Have you ever seen a hire go wrong because HR didn’t dig deep enough during reference checks? It’s not just about ticking boxes—it’s about safeguarding your company’s future. Leaders need to step up and guide HR on how to ask the questions that really matter. Remember, it’s your company’s reputation on the line. Here’s how to avoid fluff and get the insights that count: 1. What is your name, title, and current role? 2. What was your relationship with the candidate? When did you last work together? 3. What are the candidate's top three strengths for this role? 4. Describe their leadership and management style. 5. How do they make decisions? 6. Can you share a time they managed extreme pressure? 7. What areas needed more development? 8. Would you work with them again? 9. What’s something unique about working with them that an interview wouldn't reveal? 10. Anything else we should know? Start with these better questions and watch your hiring decisions improve dramatically, we all know that bad hires can be expensive. According to recent studies, a single bad hire can cost a company up to five times the individual’s annual salary. It’s not just about the financial hit—it’s about the impact on team morale, productivity, and company culture. By investing the time to ask more meaningful questions, you’re not only protecting your investment but also ensuring a stronger, more cohesive team. The right hire can drive your company forward, innovate, and inspire those around them. Make reference checks count. Make every hire a strategic advantage. Ready to transform your hiring process? #hiring #jobs #jobseekers #interviews #managers #leaders #hr #humanresources #people #business #strategy #reference #checks #image #linkedin #linkedinconnections #talentnexa #aach

Reference checks: you're doing it wrong. And it's costing you. I recently gave a talk on hiring mistakes to a room full of nonprofit professionals. I was shocked to learn from my audience about some of the weak practices in reference checking. Here's how to level up your reference checking: 1) Make sure you do them in the first place! 2) Reference checks should always be live calls. No email! No questions in advance. 3) Specify who the professional references should be from, including: a prior supervisor, a prior supervisee, and a related colleague eg. a board committee member. 4) Ask MANY questions, I ask up to 15-20 questions. I might ask 3-5 questions in each of 5 categories like: leadership, direct development experience, communication, and anything pertaining to the qualifications for the role. 5) Make sure to ask "would you hire them if you had the chance"? and one of my favorites "What advice would you give to a new supervisor working with the candidate?" These basic practices will yield honest, transparent, and truly helpful information about the candidate and their viability for the role. Happy hiring! Let's grow together!

You are doing references wrong. Well at least most of us are. To be honest, I have very mixed feeling about reference checks in general. I believe they can be a colossal waste of time- a check the box exercise that generates generic, useless responses. Tell me about their strengths: "They're a team player!" Tell me about their weaknesses: "They work too hard!" Would you recommend them for hire?: "In a heartbeat" Check, check, check. You get the idea. There have been VERY few times in my 25 year recruiting career where I have seen a reference check influence a hiring decision. But what if we took a different approach? Instead of asking general questions, ask behavior based ones. "Can you tell me about time when you had to give feedback to the candidate? How did they respond?" "Can you share an example of when the candidate bounced back from adversity? How did you support them?" 'What was one of the candidate's greatest achievements? Why do you think they were successful?" These questions will not only get you more specific answers, they will also give you insight on how to best support the candidate should you hire them. If you choose to do references, move beyond using them as a last attempt to screen a candidate in or out, and instead use the information to help guide you as you onboard your new hire. *any reference should be used with a grain of salt, as you will never truly know the relationship or bias your reference may be bringing in to the table* #interviewtips #recruiting #reference

🚩 𝗥𝗲𝗱 𝗙𝗹𝗮𝗴𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗮 𝗥𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗖𝗵𝗲𝗰𝗸? 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗡𝗲𝘅𝘁? Have you ever come across a red flag on a reference check and wondered what to do next? Here’s how to turn those tricky truths into smarter hiring decisions. Here are seven steps to guide you: 1️⃣ Red flags don't always mean what you think. Reference checks can reveal critical insights, but spotting a "red flag" doesn’t mean a candidate is out. It’s an opportunity to dig deeper. 2️⃣ Start with the Job Description: Weigh concerns from the reference against the job's requirements. Describe the job to the reference and ask how their observations on the candidate's attributes could be a pro or a con in the role. For example, let's say you hear from a reference that your best candidate can be overly serious. This would not be ideal for a public-facing role, but it isn't a deal-breaker for an analytical one. 3️⃣ Look Beyond the Surface: Is there a context for a red flag mentioned in a reference? For example, a sudden departure may have left a past employer with a bad impression about an employee's commitment, but what if an urgent personal matter was a factor and the employee chose not to share it? Find facts. Uncover the real story. Be empathetic. 4️⃣ Confirm Elsewhere: Follow up with a second or third reference to confirm or refute a concern. You don't have to let one comment derail a candidate's reputation, especially if you have a good feeling about them and other reasons to imagine a fit. Confirm if the red flag behaviours are repeated elsewhere, avoid leading questions with references, and let the story unfold naturally. 5️⃣ Focus on Fairness: Reference checks aren’t about finding faults but assessing potential. Nobody is going to get a perfect score in the workplace. Allow the reference to quantify the degree to which a red flag came into play on a scale between 1 and 10. 6️⃣ Don’t Ignore This Step: Reference checks can reveal red flags and prevent costly hiring mistakes. But don't miss out on uncovering a hidden gem. You don't have to let an appraisal from the past be your only measure. 7️⃣ Want Better Hiring Decisions? Take reference checks seriously. Dive deeper into your candidate's story for a confident choice. You can also get an expert to help you or take advantage of available guarantees with candidates coming through recruiters. Our reference process is one reason we can provide an "almost unheard of" 6-month guarantee that's twice the length of the industry standard. 🗣️ Let’s talk. 𝘿𝙤 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙖 "𝙧𝙚𝙙 𝙛𝙡𝙖𝙜" 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮? 𝙎𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙞𝙩 𝙗𝙚𝙡𝙤𝙬! #HiringTips #RecruitmentStrategies #ReferenceChecks

Had an interesting experience today. I received a reference check call for a former colleague. The caller was from a third-party company, clearly working through a standardized script. You can hear a call center in the background, clunking on their keyboards. She went through the basic checklist: "How would you rate their attendance?" ✓ "What can they improve?" ✓ "Would you rehire them?" ✓ "When did they start?" ✓ "Were they a team player" ✓ Check, check, check... but here's what they missed: What struck me was how much valuable insight was left on the table. The standardized questions couldn't capture how this person revolutionized our team dynamics, implemented game-changing processes, or tackled some of our most complex challenges. As hiring managers, we need to recognize that outsourcing reference checks to third-party services fundamentally misses the point. These calls become mere verification exercises rather than opportunities to gain deep insights into potential hires. The best reference conversations I've had as a hiring manager aren't about verifying employment dates or following a template of the same old questions. They're deep discussions with peers who can tell you how a candidate thinks, leads, and solves problems. Most importantly, you can learn about how you can best manage the candidate and make them successful at your company. Those deep conversations reveal the stories that never make it onto a resume. Sure, outsourcing might save you an hour or a few bucks, but is that worth missing the chance to learn that your candidate single-handedly drove adoption of a new program that tripled revenues the year they joined? Reference checks shouldn't just tell you if someone can do the job. They should tell you how they'll have an impact in your organization and how you can get your new hire off to a great start. Please don't delegate one of your most valuable hiring tools to a checklist.

This community bank almost passed on a top candidate  A commercial loan officer doing $15 Million in C&I a year I made one phone call that sealed the deal… A community bank hiring manager said something that shocked me: "Alex, we've never had a recruiter proactively check references and submit them to us before." NEVER??? I had a commercial loan officer they were on the fence about. They liked him, but questioned his ability to structure and underwrite complex deals. He came from a massive institution where everything was compartmentalized. Fair concern. But instead of crossing my fingers and hoping, I did something radical (apparently). I checked his references. And dug deeper than the usual "would you hire him again?" I asked: "Walk me through how he structured your most complex deal" "Give me specifics on his underwriting process" "How did he handle deals that went sideways?" Then I compiled everything into a report that directly addressed their exact concerns. Point by point. Example by example. Proof, not promises. 24 hours later, they said, "We're moving forward. This made all the difference." When you actually dig into client's hesitation, and remove those doubts with real evidence, you're not checking boxes, you're closing deals. The bar can be low in recruiting where basic competence looks like genius. That "small" extra step? It's the difference between a maybe and a yes, a placement and a pass, being a recruiter and being a paper pusher. #effectuate