There are many reference check questions that typically get asked and that tend to pop up a regular basis. The reference check process always seems to be one of the areas that job searchers ignore or pay little attention to even though it can often be one of the most important.
While a great reference check may not get you the job (although it could do just that), a bad reference check can cost you one. I’ve seen it happen.
Come to think of it, I have actually seen where a good reference helps someone get a job. This was in the instance where two candidates were being considered for the same job and it ended up going to the one whose former manager gave them a reference that led the hiring manager to believe that they had a small edge over the other candidate.
In my experience, reference check questions tend to do the following:
- Confirm the dates that you worked for the company.
- Confirm the job responsibilities that you held.
- Confirm your starting and end salary.
- Describe your main strengths and weaknesses.
- Describe areas that you need to improve on.
- Discuss your biggest accomplishments at the company.
- Confirm your attendance record and your punctuality.
- Confirm any promotions you received.
- Describe your communication/management/mentoring skills.
- Rate your technical skills.
- Assess your ability to work under pressure and to meet deadlines.
- Detail your ability to work with others and as part of a team.
- Detail your ability to work independently.
- Critique your ability to plan long and short term.
- Confirm whether or not you were respected by your coworkers.
- Confirm whether or not you are an honest employee.
- Describe your level of integrity.
- Confirm why left the company if you no longer work there.
- Verify if your reference would hire you again if the opportunity arose.
- Verify if your reference feels you are suitable for this particular position.
- Confirm anything else the hiring company should know about you.
Hopefully this list comes in handy for both job searchers and hiring managers for the following reasons:
Job searcher: From your perspective, ask yourself if the people you’re choosing as references are capable of honestly and convincingly answer questions that relate to each of the things mentioned above. Remember to choose references who are honest but who are also good speakers. The worst references I’ve done are with the people who either can’t or don’t want to talk and give me nothing but short, curt answers. These people don’t help your ability to get the job.
Hiring manager: From your perspective, are these the types of questions you ask during the reference check phase or do your references tend to more cursory discussions where you’re almost afraid to ask questions that could get answered with a response that could eliminate a job searcher from consideration?
