Ask targeted verification, performance and rehire questions to confirm a candidate’s employment history and predict how they will fit the role. Reference checks are confirmatory rather than a stand-alone predictor of success, so pair them with the interview evidence you already have. The strongest calls cover four areas: verifying facts, probing performance with examples, assessing behaviour and fit, and listening for red flags around reliability, conduct and whether the referee would rehire the person.
TL;DR:
- Reference checks are most effective when focused on verifying employment details, performance examples, and behavioural fit, rather than relying solely on vague or diplomatic responses.
- Always obtain written consent and use a structured script to ensure consistent, comparable responses from referees, especially for senior or management roles.
- Prioritize speaking with the candidate’s direct manager or primary supervisor, and confirm the referee’s identity independently to prevent fabricated references.
- Use findings from reference checks to reinforce insights gained from interviews rather than as the primary decision-making tool, due to their modest predictive validity.
- Conduct checks late in the process for shortlisted candidates, and consider external services that provide structured, risk-mitigated reference verification to streamline hiring.
Table of Contents
- 1. Essential reference check questions to ask
- 2. Who to call, when to check, and getting consent first
- 3. Privacy, consent and anti-discrimination rules to follow
- 4. Reading referee answers and catching red flags
- 5. A reference check template and phone script you can copy
- 6. How The Recruitment Alternative applies reference checks in practice
- 7. Tips for preparing candidates for reference checks
- 8. Handling difficult or uncooperative references
- 9. Differences in reference questions by industry or role level
- 10. How to verify the authenticity of a reference
- 11. Strategies for conducting remote or phone reference checks
- Editor’s perspective: quick hiring mindset reminder
- How we can help: fixed-fee recruitment and managed reference checks
- Sources
- FAQ
1. Essential reference check questions to ask
A well-run reference check follows a logical order: confirm the facts first, then test performance claims, then read behaviour and risk. Most hiring managers get useful signal from a moderate number of questions, adjusted by seniority. A frontline role might need fewer; a management hire warrants the full set plus deeper probes on leadership and conflict handling.
- Can you confirm the candidate’s job title, employment dates and who they reported to?
- What were their core duties and how did those change over time?
- What would you call their biggest achievement in the role?
- How would you rate the consistency and quality of their work?
- Did they reliably meet deadlines, and can you give an example either way?
- Can you describe a time they solved a difficult problem on their own?
- How did they work within a team, and how did colleagues respond to them?
- How did they communicate, especially when under pressure or delivering bad news?
- Can you give an example of how they handled a conflict or disagreement?
- How did they adapt when priorities or processes changed?
- How would you describe their attendance and reliability?
- Were there any performance plans, warnings or disciplinary matters relevant to this role? (Ask narrowly and only where relevant to the job.)
- Why did they leave, or why are they leaving?
- Would you rehire them, and why or why not?
- Is there anything else I should know that would help this person succeed here?
Vague or overly diplomatic answers deserve a follow-up rather than a tick and move on. If a referee says performance was “fine”, ask them to rate it against peers in the same role. If they hesitate on rehire, ask directly what would need to change. Seniority should shape emphasis: for a management or executive hire, spend more time on questions 7 to 10 and add a probe on how they developed their team; for an entry-level or trade role, verification and reliability (questions 1, 2, 5 and 11) carry more weight than leadership depth.
Pro Tip: Ask every referee the same core questions in the same order. It makes answers easier to compare and protects you if a hiring decision is ever challenged.
2. Who to call, when to check, and getting consent first
The most reliable information usually comes from a candidate’s direct former manager, since they observed day-to-day performance and decisions. When a manager is unavailable or the relationship was limited, a peer or direct report can still confirm teamwork, communication and reliability, though their view of strategic contribution will be thinner.
Reference checks belong late in the process, after interviews and once you have a shortlist, not as an early screening step. Always get documented candidate consent before contacting anyone, and only contact people the candidate has nominated unless they have separately agreed to additional referees.
- Confirm consent in writing (email is sufficient) before making any call.
- Call during standard business hours and offer a specific 15 to 20 minute window.
- If a referee prefers email, send the same core questions in writing rather than skipping the check.
- If a referee declines to discuss anything beyond dates and title, note it and move to the next referee rather than pushing.
Our guidance on running effective reference checks covers timing and sequencing in more detail.
3. Privacy, consent and anti-discrimination rules to follow
Reference checks sit inside Australian privacy and workplace law, and getting this wrong creates real risk. Fair Work guidance notes that giving employment-related references, covering skills, performance and length of service, does not inherently breach Commonwealth privacy law, but recommends obtaining consent and having a clear reference policy in place.
- Get documented candidate consent before contacting any referee.
- Keep questions limited to employment-related facts: duties, performance, conduct and reliability.
- Avoid questions touching protected attributes such as age, family status, health or religion.
- Treat criminal-history information carefully: assess relevance to the inherent requirements of the role and follow the Human Rights Commission’s guidance, since asking about spent convictions without a legal basis is restricted.
- Put a written reference policy in place covering who can give references and what they may disclose.
Reference checks contribute modest incremental validity for predicting job performance, with an operational validity of r = .26 in meta-analytic research on selection methods. That is well below structured interviews or ability testing, which is why reference checks work best as confirmation rather than the main decision tool. Avoid “backdoor” references to unlisted contacts: in Australia this risks breaching privacy principles, so always get explicit consent before contacting anyone not on the candidate’s list.
4. Reading referee answers and catching red flags
A flat “yes” to “would you rehire them?” tells you less than the explanation behind it. Guidance from Indeed points out that the value sits in the qualifier, so always ask “why or why not” rather than accepting a one-word answer.
- A hesitant or heavily qualified rehire answer usually signals a real issue: probe with a direct follow-up rather than letting it pass.
- Evasive language (“they were fine”, “no real complaints”) often means the referee is being diplomatic: corroborate with a second referee or documentation before drawing conclusions.
- Watch for inconsistent dates between what the candidate stated and what the referee confirms.
- Treat vague or generic achievement claims, a pattern of short tenures, or an outright refusal to discuss performance as signals worth investigating further.
Because reference checks add only modest incremental validity on their own (r = .26), use them to confirm patterns you already saw in the interview and any assessments, not to override strong interview evidence with a single vague reference.
5. A reference check template and phone script you can copy
A short, consistent script keeps calls professional and comparable across candidates. Fair Work’s reference-checking form is a solid starting template to adapt for your own process.
Open with: “Hi, this is [your name] from [company]. [Candidate] has given us your name as a referee and consented to us contacting you. Do you have about 15 minutes to answer some questions about their time working with you?”
- State the purpose plainly: confirming employment facts and gathering feedback on performance and fit.
- Record answers against the same fields every time so responses are easy to compare later.
- For sensitive topics, frame it factually: “Were there any formal performance or conduct matters during their employment that would be relevant to this role?”
- Store notes securely and only share them with people involved in the hiring decision.
| Template field | What to record |
|---|---|
| Job title and dates | Start date, end date, exact title held |
| Reporting line | Who they reported to and any direct reports |
| Core duties | Main responsibilities in their own words |
| Key achievement | One specific example with outcome |
| Area for improvement | One specific, work-related example |
| Rehire answer | Yes/no plus the referee’s explanation |
| Reason for leaving | Referee’s version, compared with candidate’s |
6. How The Recruitment Alternative applies reference checks in practice
At The Recruitment Alternative, reference checks happen after shortlisting and interviews, once a client has identified a preferred candidate, and before a formal offer is made. They confirm what the interview and any psychometric evaluation have already suggested rather than replacing that evidence. Our consultants run structured calls with nominated referees, using consistent verification and performance questions, then summarise findings for the client to review alongside the rest of the candidate’s assessment before a final hiring decision is made.
7. Tips for preparing candidates for reference checks
Candidates perform better in the process when they know what to expect, and preparation reduces the chance of a nervous or defensive referee giving a weaker answer than the facts justify.
Ask candidates to notify their referees before you call, so nobody is caught off guard by an unexpected request. Encourage them to choose referees who worked closely with them and can speak to specific projects, rather than someone senior who barely knew their day-to-day work. It also helps to ask candidates to brief their referees on the role they’ve applied for, so the referee can speak to relevant strengths rather than guessing at fit.
Set a realistic expectation with candidates about timing: most checks happen once they’re a preferred candidate, not at initial application, and the process typically takes a few business days depending on referee availability. Transparency here builds trust and tends to produce more prompt, useful responses from referees. Our piece on why recruitment transparency matters covers this from the employer side.
8. Handling difficult or uncooperative references
Some referees, particularly larger organisations with formal HR policies, will only confirm dates and title, citing company policy. That is a legitimate limitation, not a red flag on its own, so don’t read too much into a policy-driven non-answer.
When a referee is genuinely evasive rather than policy-bound, ask more specific, closed questions (“Did they meet their sales targets in their final six months?”) rather than open ones, since specific questions are harder to dodge diplomatically. If a referee is unresponsive after two reasonable attempts, move to a backup referee rather than chasing indefinitely, and let the candidate know so they can nominate an alternative.
Where a former employer’s policy blocks any real feedback, weigh that against the other referee’s input and the interview evidence rather than treating the checked box as equivalent to a substantive reference. Document what happened either way: a thin reference that was appropriately followed up looks very different from one that was simply skipped.
9. Differences in reference questions by industry or role level
The core question set holds across roles, but emphasis shifts. For sales roles, weight questions toward specific results and targets, since achievement claims are usually measurable. For trades and technical roles, reliability, safety practices and adherence to standards matter more than strategic contribution. For healthcare roles, compliance with protocols and patient or client interaction are worth direct questions.
Senior and executive hires warrant deeper probes on leadership style, how they developed their team and how they handled a genuine crisis or restructure, since the cost of a poor fit is higher and behavioural patterns matter more than task completion. Entry-level and graduate roles lean harder on reliability, coachability and attitude, since there is often limited performance history to verify. Matching question depth to seniority keeps the process efficient without skipping anything that actually predicts fit for that role.
10. How to verify the authenticity of a reference
Confirm the referee’s identity and role independently rather than relying only on the phone number the candidate provided. A quick check against the company’s published contact details or the referee’s LinkedIn profile, matched to the title and company the candidate listed, is a simple safeguard.
Be alert to referees who seem unfamiliar with basic details of the role or company they claim to represent, or who give answers that don’t align with dates or duties confirmed elsewhere. Where something feels inconsistent, a second referee or a direct call to the company’s main line (rather than a personal mobile number) can confirm the person genuinely worked there. This matters more for senior or high-trust roles, where the cost of a fabricated reference is highest.
11. Strategies for conducting remote or phone reference checks
Phone remains the most reliable method, since tone and hesitation carry information that email cannot. Schedule a specific window rather than calling unannounced, and confirm the referee still has time before diving into questions.
For referees in different time zones or with limited phone availability, a structured email using the same question set is a reasonable substitute, though follow up on any vague written answers with a short call if possible. Video calls work well when a referee prefers face-to-face contact but can’t meet in person, and they make it easier to read tone than a written response alone. Whatever the format, record answers against the same template every time so a phone reference and an email reference to remain equally comparable.
Editor’s perspective: quick hiring mindset reminder
Reference checks confirm a story, they don’t tell you the whole one. Ask the same fair, role-focused questions of every candidate, document your reasoning, and treat a hesitant answer as a prompt to dig deeper rather than a verdict.
— Josh Townsend
How we can help: fixed-fee recruitment and managed reference checks
Running thorough reference checks on every shortlisted candidate takes time most hiring managers don’t have spare, so consider using specialized HR-ticketing reference tracking software to streamline this process. The Recruitment Alternative’s fixed-fee recruitment service includes structured reference checking as part of the hiring process, so the verification work happens without adding to your workload.
- Fixed-fee pricing set out on our pricing page, rather than a percentage of salary.
- Structured, consistent reference checks run as part of the recruitment process, not left to chance.
- A replacement guarantee if a placed candidate doesn’t work out in the first few months.
If you’d rather have a partner manage the process end to end, get in touch to discuss your next permanent hire.
Sources
- The validity and utility of selection methods in personnel psychology
- Workplace privacy best practice guide – Fair Work Ombudsman
- Human Rights Commission guidance on discrimination and criminal records
FAQ
What questions are asked during a reference check?
Employers typically confirm job title, dates and duties, then ask about performance, teamwork, communication and reliability. Most calls close with reason for leaving and whether the referee would rehire the candidate.
What is an example of a reference question?
A common example is “Can you describe a time this person solved a difficult problem on their own?” This tests a specific claim rather than inviting a general, hard-to-verify answer.
What do you ask in a reference check?
Cover four areas: verification of employment facts, performance with specific examples, behaviour and team fit, and risk factors like attendance or conduct. Always finish with the rehire question and ask for the reasoning behind the answer, since that explanation carries the real signal.
What are some common questions and answers used in reference checks?
Common questions cover job title and dates, key achievements, quality and consistency of work, and whether the referee would rehire the person. Answers vary by referee, which is why corroborating vague or hesitant responses with a second referee matters.
How many reference checks should an employer run per candidate?
Two referees is the practical minimum for most roles, ideally including at least one direct former manager. Senior or high-trust roles benefit from a third referee, particularly where the first two give thin or inconsistent answers.
