References: How to do a thorough reference check
References can be helpful in confirming your impression of a candidate. We give you ten tips for conducting a thorough reference check before hiring a candidate.
Choosing the right candidate for a position requires that you carry out a structured and efficient recruitment process using the right tools, good routines and processes.
You can divide the recruitment process into the following steps.
- First, select relevant candidates for interview based on CV, certificates and diplomas.
- Then you conduct a screening interview to map competence, as well as uncover motivation and suitability for the position.
- It is only when you have reached the final round of the recruitment process that you will check references on the final candidates.
Here we have collected ten tips on what you should do to make the reference check valuable.
The purpose of the reference check
As an employer, your goal is to get the best possible decision basis for assessing whether the candidate is right for the position.
You want to confirm or deny knowledge and perceptions about the candidate that you have formed through the recruitment process.
First, you need to verify that the referrers you have provided are in fact who they say they are. It is important that you create trust in the reference person by acting professionally and kindly.
Reset before checking references. It is a human weakness that we tend to seek the information we want.
When to check references
References are checked on final candidates in the final phase of the recruitment process.
During the process, you have become acquainted with the candidate and have formed a good picture of how you perceive the candidate.
When you have a clear picture of professional competence, skills and personal qualities, as well as motivation and ambitions, you are ready for a reference check.
It is a good idea to use a structured reference form and to be well prepared for the questions you want to be answered.
How to select relevant references
Who should provide as a reference? Is the relationship with the candidate and the reference professional or private?
Which reference you should select depends on the position level and the requirements for the candidate. Ask the candidate about relevant references, but feel free to come up with your own suggestions.
This way you can also find out if the candidate does not want to use relevant references due to previous conflicts or disagreements.
Remember that a reference is nothing more than a person with their own subjective perceptions and motives.
Feel free to ask what the candidate thinks the references will tell; both positive things and any areas for improvement.
Then the candidate gets the opportunity to explain the relationship and you get to find out if there are large discrepancies between what the candidate has said and what the reference says.
Former Managers are the preferred references
Often, former managers will be the most relevant references to interview. But still talk to the candidate about each reference before calling.
The references you speak to must be both relevant and know the candidate well.
It is important that you talk to references who have had different roles and relationships with the candidate. These can be references that have been a manager, middle manager, specialist or subordinate.
When you talk to these, you can get a more comprehensive feedback on how the candidate has functioned both academically and socially.
What should you do before contacting the references
You should never call references without the candidate being informed in advance that you want to get in touch and what it is about.
There are several reasons why the references should be informed first. The references have time to prepare for you wanting to call and for them to have time to think about what they want to say about the candidate.
This makes the answers more thoughtful and valuable. Also, ask the candidate for a time that is appropriate to call the reference so that you have time for a thorough conversation.
How many references should you call
It pays to check several references to get a balanced picture that is relevant for a good decision basis.
We recommend that you conduct interviews with at least 3 relevant references. This way you get a better and more comprehensive feedback.
This can be a time consuming process, but do not let it control you.
You may want to look at how many are required to secure enough information about the candidate depending on the type of position you are recruiting for.
How to use information from reference checks
The information you get about the candidate from references should serve as a guide that confirms or denies your impression after the interview round.
How the reference responds does not necessarily override the impression of the candidate. Use discretion and if in doubt, ask for more references that can disprove or confirm what you are in doubt about.
Job seekers tend to exaggerate their own skills and results during the interview process. The reference interviews help to create a balanced picture when assessing the final candidates.
It can be useful to talk to other references than the ones the candidate has put on their list, but then you have to ask for permission first.
Be careful when evaluating after the reference interviews. If negative things have occurred, you should check with several sources to get this confirmed or denied.
What questions should you ask the reference
When you call the reference, you should always first ask what position they have today, what relationship the reference has had to the candidate and how long they have worked together.
At the beginning of the conversation, you should ask open-ended questions. So that the reference can freely tell about the candidate without you controlling the answers.
Feel free to follow up with new questions along the way and ask for examples or for the answers to be concretized.
Feel free to also ask about what position the candidate has held, what responsibilities and tasks this has included. This gives you a better picture of how well the reference knows the candidate.
Ask the references open-ended and neutral questions. Do not just ask for confirmation of the impression you have of the job seeker.
Some examples of questions for the reference
- How has the candidate worked in the position?
- What responsibilities and tasks the person had?
- How the candidate has performed and what results do you want to highlight?
- How would you describe the candidate as a person?
- His / Her collaboration and communication with others worked?
- Would you hire the person again?
Many people find it difficult not to answer this last important question honestly.
Pitfalls to avoid in the reference check
Reset before checking references. It is a human weakness that we tend to seek the information we want.
In many cases, the reference will be more than positive to the candidate, so there is every reason to ask precise questions.
If you have received a good application, a CV with the right background and completed a good interview, you also already have a positive opinion of the candidate.
If the chemistry, personality, competence and motivation for the position are correct, it can be difficult to ask objective questions to the reference.
How to end the reference interview
As a conclusion to the reference check, you can make a brief summary of what you have gone through.
You can ask the reference if this is correctly understood, or if the reference wants to add something.
Then you can inquire if there are other things worth knowing about the candidate that you have not talked about.
How to uncover for positive references
There can be various reasons why you get a good description of a bad candidate.
Some times, the company wants to get rid of the candidate and provides a strong positive reference.
In Some cases, the reference is just kind and pleasant and has little understanding of why value creation and results are important.
In a few other cases, the reference is a good friend of the candidate and covers the candidate’s weaknesses.
There is therefore good reason to ask precise questions that reveal topics you are unsure of about the candidate.
After the reference interview, you should summarize positive and negative findings, and assess whether the reference check strengthens or reduces your perception of the candidate.
Remember that it is always better not to hire, than to hire the wrong person.
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