Interview guide · Interview types
Reference check questions
In short
Reference check questions are the questions you ask a candidate's former managers, peers or clients to confirm what you learned in interviews and find out how the person actually performs at work. This page gives 30 questions to ask references, grouped by topic, with what each reveals, what a strong answer sounds like and the warning signs to listen for.
Most reference checks are a waste of everyone's time because they ask questions a reference can answer with one polite sentence. Would you recommend her? Of course. Was he reliable? Very. A good reference call is a short structured interview with someone who watched the candidate work. You ask for specific examples, you compare what you hear with what the candidate told you, and you listen hard for hesitation, faint praise and the things the reference does not say. Our glossary entry on the reference check explains where it fits in the process.
Use references to test the two or three things you are least sure about after the final interview, not to repeat the whole interview. Talk to at least two people, with at least one former direct manager. Ask every reference the same core questions, record the answers on a standard reference check form, and plan 15 to 20 minutes per call. Get the candidate's written consent before you contact anyone, and tell them who you plan to call.
What these questions assess
- A real working relationshipConfirm how the reference knows the candidate, for how long and how closely. A manager of two years outweighs a colleague from another department or a personal friend.
- Specific examples rather than adjectivesGreat team player tells you little. A story about covering a coworker's shifts during a family emergency tells you a lot.
- Consistency with the interviewsScope, results and reasons for leaving should match what the candidate said. Small differences are normal; big ones need a follow-up.
- Enthusiasm, or its absenceStrong references are quick and warm. Long pauses, careful wording and she was fine are signals even when every word is positive.
- Honest development areasEvery good employee has something to work on. A reference who can name it is usually being straight with you about everything else.
- Rehire answerWould you hire this person again is the closest a reference gets to a verdict. A clear, immediate yes means more than any other answer.
Opening and relationship questions
How do you know [Candidate], and how long did you work together?
- Why ask it
- Sets the weight you give everything that follows.
- A strong answer
- Names the relationship (direct manager, peer, client), the time period and how often they worked together.
- Red flags
- The reference is vague about the relationship or it turns out to be personal rather than professional.
What was [Candidate]'s role and what were they responsible for when you worked together?
- Why ask it
- Tests whether the scope described in interviews is accurate.
- A strong answer
- Matches the candidate's account in title, responsibilities and scale, such as team size or call volume.
- Red flags
- Describes a noticeably smaller role than the candidate claimed.
Can you confirm their dates of employment and their job title when they left?
- Why ask it
- A simple fact check. Some employers only allow HR to confirm these.
- A strong answer
- Dates and title line up with the resume, or the reference points you to the right verification contact.
- Red flags
- Dates are off by months or the title differs, without a clear explanation.
Why did [Candidate] leave your organization?
- Why ask it
- Compares the reference's version with the candidate's.
- A strong answer
- Consistent with what the candidate said, such as a promotion elsewhere, relocation or a reorganization.
- Red flags
- A different story, a long pause, or I would prefer not to say from a manager who otherwise speaks freely.
Performance and results
What were [Candidate]'s main strengths? Can you give me an example of one?
- Why ask it
- Moves past general praise to concrete evidence.
- A strong answer
- Names one or two strengths with a specific example of when they showed up.
- Red flags
- Only adjectives, or strengths unrelated to the job you are hiring for.
How did their performance compare with others in the same role?
- Why ask it
- A ranking question gets past the default answer of good.
- A strong answer
- Places them clearly, such as top 10 percent of 40 agents, with the measure used.
- Red flags
- Middle of the pack, or a refusal to compare at all from someone who managed a large team.
Tell me about a result or project [Candidate] delivered that you remember.
- Why ask it
- Checks the achievements the candidate described in interviews.
- A strong answer
- Describes a specific outcome that matches or adds to what the candidate claimed.
- Red flags
- Cannot recall the project the candidate described as their biggest win.
How did they handle their workload during your busiest periods?
- Why ask it
- Reveals behavior under pressure, which interviews rarely show.
- A strong answer
- Gives an example of a peak period and how the candidate prioritized and kept quality up.
- Red flags
- They struggled with volume or needed others to cover for them.
On a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate their overall performance? What would have made it a 10?
- Why ask it
- The follow-up often surfaces the most useful information of the call.
- A strong answer
- An 8 or 9 with a specific, minor area for improvement.
- Red flags
- A 6 or 7 with careful wording, or a 10 with no ability to explain why.
Reliability, work style and attitude
How reliable was [Candidate] with attendance, punctuality and following through on commitments?
- Why ask it
- Attendance is one of the strongest predictors of success in hourly roles, and references know it well.
- A strong answer
- Clear yes with an example, such as volunteering for extra shifts or never missing a deadline.
- Red flags
- Mentions attendance points, a final warning, or says it improved later without detail.
How did they respond when they were given feedback or coaching?
- Why ask it
- Coachability predicts how fast a new hire grows.
- A strong answer
- Describes a specific piece of feedback and how the candidate changed as a result.
- Red flags
- Got defensive, or the reference cannot recall ever giving feedback.
How much direction did [Candidate] need to do their job well?
- Why ask it
- Tells you how much management the person will need from you.
- A strong answer
- A clear answer that fits your role, such as worked independently after the first month and asked good questions.
- Red flags
- Needed close supervision for routine tasks after the training period.
How did they handle a mistake or a difficult situation at work?
- Why ask it
- Reveals honesty and ownership from someone who saw it firsthand.
- A strong answer
- An example where the candidate owned the mistake, raised it and helped fix it.
- Red flags
- Hid problems or blamed others.
How did they deal with customers or clients who were upset?
- Why ask it
- Essential for customer-facing roles. References often remember specific calls or incidents.
- A strong answer
- Stayed calm, solved the problem within policy and got positive customer feedback.
- Red flags
- Complaints from customers or escalations caused by the candidate's tone.
Was there ever a concern about following policies, safety rules or compliance requirements?
- Why ask it
- Important for regulated roles, cash handling and safety-sensitive work.
- A strong answer
- No concerns, or a minor early issue that was quickly corrected.
- Red flags
- A pause followed by I cannot comment on that, or details of serious violations.
Teamwork and relationships
How did [Candidate] get along with coworkers?
- Why ask it
- Checks for patterns of conflict the candidate would not mention.
- A strong answer
- Specific examples of helping peers or being someone others went to for help.
- Red flags
- Mentions friction with several people or that some teammates did not want to work with them.
Can you tell me about a disagreement they had with someone and how it was resolved?
- Why ask it
- Every team has conflict. How the candidate handled it matters more than whether it happened.
- A strong answer
- Raised the issue directly, stayed professional and reached a working solution.
- Red flags
- Went around people, held grudges or escalated small issues.
How did they contribute to the team beyond their own job?
- Why ask it
- Separates good individual performers from people who make teams better.
- A strong answer
- Trained new hires, shared shortcuts, covered gaps or improved a process.
- Red flags
- Focused only on their own numbers or resisted helping others.
What type of manager or team environment does [Candidate] work best in?
- Why ask it
- Helps you check fit with the hiring manager's style and plan onboarding.
- A strong answer
- A specific description you can compare with your environment.
- Red flags
- Only works well with a very particular kind of manager that you cannot offer.
Development areas and fit for the new role
What is one area where [Candidate] could still improve?
- Why ask it
- Every honest reference has an answer. The answer shows you where to coach early.
- A strong answer
- A specific, believable area, such as delegating or writing detailed notes, and what the candidate was doing about it.
- Red flags
- Nothing at all, which usually means the reference is not being fully candid.
This role involves [describe key requirement, such as handling 60 calls a day or supervising 12 people]. How do you think they would do?
- Why ask it
- Asks the reference to apply what they know to your job.
- A strong answer
- Confident answer with an example of similar work.
- Red flags
- Hesitates or says the candidate has not done anything like it.
What kind of support would help [Candidate] succeed in their first 90 days?
- Why ask it
- Gives the hiring manager a practical onboarding plan and often reveals weaknesses gently.
- A strong answer
- Specific, reasonable support, such as clear targets from day one or time to learn the systems.
- Red flags
- Extensive hand-holding for a role that requires independence.
Is there anything I have not asked that you think I should know?
- Why ask it
- Gives the reference permission to share what they were hesitant to raise.
- A strong answer
- Adds a positive detail or confirms there is nothing more.
- Red flags
- A pause followed by something that changes the picture.
Rehire and closing questions
If you had the chance, would you hire [Candidate] again?
- Why ask it
- The most important reference question.
- A strong answer
- An immediate, enthusiastic yes, often with a reason.
- Red flags
- Any hesitation, a conditional yes, or company policy does not allow rehire without explanation.
Is [Candidate] eligible for rehire at your organization?
- Why ask it
- A factual question many HR departments will answer even when managers cannot share details.
- A strong answer
- Yes.
- Red flags
- No, or a refusal to answer that contrasts with how freely other facts were shared.
Who else worked closely with [Candidate] that I could speak with?
- Why ask it
- Finds references the candidate did not choose, with the candidate's consent.
- A strong answer
- Suggests a peer or manager who saw the candidate's work.
- Red flags
- No one else to suggest after a long working relationship.
Extra questions for management and leadership candidates
How did [Candidate] develop the people on their team? Can you name someone they helped grow?
- Why ask it
- Developing others is the core of a supervisor's job and hard to verify in an interview.
- A strong answer
- Names specific people who were promoted or improved under the candidate.
- Red flags
- Cannot name anyone the candidate developed.
How did they handle poor performers on their team?
- Why ask it
- Tests whether the candidate addresses problems or lets them slide.
- A strong answer
- Addressed issues early, documented fairly and either improved performance or managed the person out properly.
- Red flags
- Avoided difficult conversations or left the problem for HR.
How did their team's results and turnover change while they led it?
- Why ask it
- Checks the business results the candidate claimed.
- A strong answer
- Specific improvements in measurable results such as quality scores, attrition or productivity.
- Red flags
- Results flat or worse, or high turnover during their tenure.
How did they manage up and work with other leaders?
- Why ask it
- Senior roles depend on relationships with peers and executives.
- A strong answer
- Kept leadership informed, disagreed constructively and was trusted by peers.
- Red flags
- Surprised leadership with problems or clashed with peer managers.
Sample answers
I would give Maria a 9. She ran our Tier 2 billing queue for about 18 months, and her quality scores were consistently in the top three of 22 agents. She was also the person new hires went to, which I never asked her to do. What would make it a 10 is that she sometimes took on too much herself. During our system migration she was answering everyone's questions and her own tickets backed up for a couple of days. We talked about it, and she started sending people to the knowledge base and only taking the hard questions. If you put her in a lead role, I would watch for that in the first few months, but she responds well to feedback.
Yes, without thinking about it. I tried to keep him when he left. We could not match the shift differential he was offered, and the day shift mattered to him. He was my most dependable forklift operator for three years, zero safety incidents, and he was the one I put new operators with for their first week. Honestly, if a role opens up on our day shift, I am going to call him before I post it.
Interview scorecard
| Competency | Weight | Strong (4–5) | Weak (1–2) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Job performance and results | 30% | Specific results that match or exceed what the candidate described, ranked above peers. | Vague praise, average ranking or results that contradict the interviews. |
| Reliability and integrity | 25% | Dependable attendance, follows through, owns mistakes, no policy concerns. | Attendance issues, policy concerns or hesitation on integrity questions. |
| Teamwork and coachability | 20% | Works well with others, helps peers and acts on feedback. | Conflict with coworkers or defensive about feedback. |
| Consistency with candidate's account | 10% | Role, scope, dates and reason for leaving match the interviews. | Material differences in scope, title, dates or reasons for leaving. |
| Rehire recommendation | 15% | Immediate, enthusiastic yes to rehire. | Hesitation, conditions or not eligible for rehire. |
Score each competency from 1 to 5 straight after the interview, before discussing the candidate with anyone else, then multiply by the weight.
How to run a reference check call
Schedule the call rather than cold-calling. A short request by email, such as our reference check request email, tells the reference who you are, which candidate it concerns, that the candidate gave consent and how long the call will take. References who have time set aside give longer, more honest answers.
Open by confirming the relationship, then describe the role you are hiring for in two sentences. References answer more usefully when they know what the job involves. Ask the core questions in the same order for every reference, follow up with can you give me an example, and save the rehire question for last. Take notes on the form during the call, word for word where possible for anything negative or surprising. Fifteen minutes is enough for most roles; 20 to 30 for managers.
Listen as much to how things are said as to what is said. Damning with faint praise (she was always on time) is common because many references are uneasy saying anything negative. If you hear it, ask a ranking question or the what would make it a 10 question to get underneath it.
What references can and cannot be asked
The same anti-discrimination rules that apply in interviews apply to reference calls. Do not ask a reference about the candidate's age, health, disability, medical leave, workers comp claims, pregnancy, family situation, religion or national origin. Asking how many sick days the candidate took or whether they had health problems invites ADA and FMLA problems. Our list of illegal interview questions covers the same territory.
Get written consent from the candidate before contacting anyone, and only contact a current employer with explicit permission. If a third-party vendor conducts reference checks for you, the Fair Credit Reporting Act may treat the result as an investigative consumer report, which requires a specific written disclosure, the candidate's authorization and adverse action notices if you rely on it to reject them. Many states give employers some protection for good-faith references, but plenty of companies still restrict managers to confirming dates and title. If you hit that policy, ask for HR's verification line and an eligible for rehire answer, and lean on your other references. Rules vary by state and country, so check yours.
Common reference check mistakes
- Treating it as a formality. If the offer is already decided, you will hear only what confirms it. Run references before the final decision and be ready to act on what you learn.
- Talking only to people the candidate picked. Chosen references are naturally positive. Ask them who else worked closely with the candidate and, with consent, call one of those people.
- Yes or no questions. Was she reliable gets a yes. How did she handle her busiest month gets an answer.
- Ignoring hesitation. A two-second pause before the rehire question is information. Ask a gentle follow-up.
- Back-channel calls without consent. Calling people the candidate did not name, especially at a current employer, can cost the candidate their job and expose you to claims. Many organizations ban it.
- Not writing it down. Notes on a standard form protect the decision and help the hiring manager onboard the new hire.
Reference checks in high-volume hiring
When you are hiring 40 warehouse associates a month, a 20-minute call per reference is not realistic, and for many hourly roles the call adds little that a solid interview, skills check and background check have not already shown. Most high-volume teams use one of three approaches. Skip references for entry-level hourly roles and rely on a structured interview and the probationary period. Use digital reference surveys, where references answer the same short set of rated questions online, usually with a much faster turnaround than phone tag. Or call references only for leads, supervisors and roles handling money or sensitive data.
If you use surveys, keep them to eight or ten questions, include at least two open-text questions, and make sure the platform verifies that references are real people with work email addresses where possible. Track whether reference results ever change a decision. If they never do over six months, the step is costing you days of time to hire for no information, and that time is better spent on a second interview for borderline candidates.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best questions to ask references?
Ask how they know the candidate, what the candidate's strengths are with an example, how they compared with peers, how they handled feedback and pressure, what they could improve, and whether the reference would hire them again. The rehire question and the area for improvement question usually tell you the most.
How many references should I check?
Two or three, including at least one former direct manager. For leadership roles, add a peer and, if possible, someone who reported to the candidate.
Can a former employer give a bad reference?
In most US states, employers can share truthful, job-related information about a former employee, and many states give good-faith references legal protection. In practice many employers limit references to dates and title to avoid defamation claims.
What is a reference check template?
A standard form listing the questions to ask every reference and space to record answers, ratings and the rehire answer. Using the same template for every candidate makes reference results comparable and gives you a record of what was said.
When should reference checks happen in the hiring process?
After the final interview and before the offer is made, or as a condition of the offer. Checking references earlier wastes the references' time on candidates you will not hire.
Do I need the candidate's permission to contact references?
It is best practice to get written consent for every reference, and essential before contacting a current employer. If a third-party company conducts the checks for you, FCRA disclosure and authorization rules may apply.