CAREER & HIRING ADVICE

When hiring top talent, conducting thorough reference checks is a critical step to ensure you are making an informed decision.

By asking the right questions, employers can verify a candidate’s employment history, uncover insights into their work ethic and interpersonal skills, and identify potential red flags. Coupled with practical tips for conducting effective reference checks, this resource equips hiring managers with the tools to confidently assess candidates and build high-performing teams.

Whether you are a seasoned recruiter or a small business owner providing virtual legal assistant services, these carefully curated questions and strategies will help you make smarter hiring choices.

What is a reference check?

A reference check is a process of verifying information about a candidate during the hiring process. It can be conducted via phone or email and allows an employer to make a more informed hiring decision before extending an offer.

How Long Does a Reference Check Take?

Most reference checks take between two and five business days from start to finish. The actual phone call with a reference typically runs 10 to 15 minutes, but the total timeline depends on how quickly references respond, how many you contact, and whether you are checking references for one candidate or several at the same time.

According to SHRM’s hiring research, the average time-to-hire across industries is about 36 days, and reference checks account for a meaningful portion of that window when they are not started early enough in the process.

The biggest source of delay is not the conversation itself it is phone tag. Most hiring managers report leaving two to three voicemails before reaching a reference. Building this lag time into your hiring timeline prevents a completed reference check from becoming a last-minute bottleneck that holds up an offer.

What affects how long a reference check takes:

• Number of references contacted (most employers check two to three per candidate)
• Whether you call or email (phone checks take longer to schedule but yield better information)
• Availability of the reference (former managers at large companies are often harder to reach)
• Internal approval processes at the reference’s current employer
• State or company policies that restrict what former employers can legally share

For roles that require background screening in addition to reference checks, the full process can extend to seven to ten business days. The National Association of Professional Background Screeners notes that combining reference checks with employment verification and criminal screening in a single workflow is the most efficient way to compress the overall timeline.

Quick Answer: A single reference check phone call takes 10 to 15 minutes. The full reference check process, including scheduling and follow-up, typically takes two to five business days. Checking references for multiple candidates simultaneously or requiring background screening can extend the timeline to seven to ten business days.

When should you do a reference check?

When an employer is considering extending an offer to a candidate and they need additional sources of information before extending an offer a reference check occurs.

These sources can include conversations with current and previous managers, co-workers and often include letters of recommendation, samples of work if applicable, verification of skill sets, and educational background. In many cases, recruitment agencies and headhunters assist employers by conducting these reference checks as part of a broader hiring process.

As we have mentioned earlier, you can conduct a reference check by emailing and calling a candidate’s former employers, the institutions of education, and other sources to get accurate information about the applicant’s background. But the process can get quite tedious and time-consuming pretty soon when you need to conduct a reference check on multiple candidates.

True People Search is a reliable background screening and identity verification platform that will help you access all the publicly available data of the candidates, including their educational background, job history, social IDs, and even criminal records, with a few clicks. This makes the reference checking process faster and more efficient.

Why should you conduct a reference check?

Think you’ve found the right candidate for the job?  Make sure and still conduct a reference check. Why put so much time and energy into the interview process and then skip this crucial step?

You should conduct references checks to:

1. Spot potential red flags and warning signs about previous behavior.
2. Ensure employment history information is accurate such as dates of employment and job duties and job title.
3. Verify facts and skillsets by speaking with former managers.
4. Discover how the candidate interacts with coworkers and takes direction from supervisors.
5. Learn about the candidate’s work ethic, working style, dependability, attitude, and communication skills.

How do you conduct a reference check?

1. When making reference calls first identify yourself, the company you’re with, and the person that has listed them as a reference.
2. Make sure it’s a good time to have a brief discussion or if a reference call should be scheduled for a later time.
3. Let the reference know all answers will remain confidential.
4. Proceed to verify dates of employment, knowledge base, and skillsets.
5. Describe the open position you are hiring for and ask them if they feel they would be a fit for the role.
6. Make sure and give the reference time to answer each question and do not lead them to easy answers, have them answer directly.

20 Best Reference Check questions

1. What was your relationship with the candidate?
2. How long did you work with each other?
3. How would you rate their work? 
4. What were their daily duties?
5. What were their main responsibilities?
6. Were they dependable? Did they get to work on time?
7. Did they complete the tasks and assignments given to them?
8. Did they take direction well?
9. How did they support coworkers?
10. Why did they leave your position?
11. What are their strong points? 
12. What are their weak points? 
13. How did they get along with other people? 
14. Do they have good communication and listening skills?
15. Were there any behaviors that affected job performance?
16. Would you rehire? yes or no  If no why not? 
17. Did they require a lot of supervision or work well independently?
18. How did the candidate handle work-related stress?
19. Do you think the candidate can do the job we spoke about?
20. Would you like to add anything else?

10 Tips for checking references

Inform candidates you check references, don’t delegate references checks, take detailed notes, conduct the reference check via phone, start off with easy questions, verify employment dates and work history, review social media posts, don’t ask closed-ended questions, assure the reference of confidentiality, and be on guard for fake references.

1. Inform the candidates upfront you check references.

Want an easy way to weed out candidates with poor references or problems to hide?  Be upfront about the reference check and you may find that your candidate list shrinks itself.

The people that you do interview will tend to be more accurate and honest during the interview process. Add this tip to your reference best practices and knowledge base.

2. Don’t delegate the reference check to someone else.

We are all busy and it may not seem like a big deal to delegate previous employer reference checks to HR, but it could be a huge mistake.

Only you know exactly what you are looking for in an employee and no one else will ask the same questions in quite the way you would.

It could be a casual remark made about the candidate that may reveal something that clashes with your companies’ culture.  Something you would have missed had someone else been conducting the professional reference check.

3. Make sure and take detailed notes.

When speaking with a candidate’s former hiring manager it is important to take detailed notes of the conversation especially if you are talking to multiple managers for multiple candidates.

You never know when you might need to refer back to your notes when evaluating the candidate for a potential hire so don’t miss this important step.

Conduct at least 2 or 3 reference checks from the most recent managers/supervisors of the candidate. If one reference is great and you get a mixed review on the other one it is best to get a third reference before making a final decision for the complete picture.

4. Conduct the reference checks by phone.

Pick up the phone when conducting a reference check about previous work experience.  You miss out on tone and inflection when using email and can easily misinterpret content.

You also may miss out on warning signs as only a phone conversation will reveal. It’s unlikely a candidate’s reference will reveal something negative in writing because they don’t want the liability issues.

Also, enthusiasm is difficult to distinguish and you can’t hear hesitation to an answer by reading the response through email.

5. Start off with easy questions

Warm-up with some easy questions (“How long did you work together”) before diving in.  Always pay attention to your wording.  Rather than asking “What do you feel are Carla’s biggest weaknesses?” you could ask “What do you feel Carla needs to do to further her career?”

Word questions in a positive way rather than trying to sniff out problems.

6. Verify employment dates

Make sure the employment dates listed on the candidate’s resume are the correct dates when you verify them with the manager. We often talk to candidates who say they worked at their last company for 2 years when it was only 2 months.

Sometimes the last position on a candidate’s resume will say 2022 to present for example, when really that position ended in 2021 and it is currently 2024.

This is a vital piece of the reference checking process.

7. Review social media content/posts.

In performing your due diligence this is yet another sort of reference check. Checking any public Facebook posts and Twitter feeds, can show revealing information about the candidate.

Also, check out their LinkedIn profile to look for resume discrepancies and recommendations. You can also check to see if they share any professional contacts as these may provide more references for you to check.

Make sure and take the time to do reference checks and don’t merely write them off as a nuisance.

You might learn the hard way that a few phone calls could make all the difference in selecting the right employee for your position. Hopefully, this reference check guide can help.

8. Don’t Ask Close-ended questions

You want to frame the questions you ask in a way that doesn’t lead the former supervisor to answer the questions in a vague way.

An example of  what not to ask would be “John got along with his coworkers correct?” Instead, frame the question as “How did John interact with fellow team members”?

9. Assure the reference of confidentiality

Does the former supervisor hesitate to answer your questions? does it seem like they are holding something back about the candidate’s job performance?

Many times managerial references hold back their true feelings or knowledge due to the fear of the conversation getting back to the former employee.

Put the reference at ease by assuring them your conversation will remain between the 2 of you and will not be revealed to the former employee. This will help you obtain the best factual reference possible.

10. Be on guard for fake references

Candidates that have burned bridges at previous positions with former employers or just have a terrible attitude and work ethic will oftentimes provide fake managerial references using a former colleague or a list of references with bad contact information.

It is important to get honest references so when speaking with the previous supervisor it’s imperative to verify the reference’s title, their full name, what company they worked with the candidate at, what dates they worked for the company together, and were they the candidates direct supervisor.

Here’s the section plus placement advice:

Reference Check Email Templates (Ready to Copy)

Phone calls are the gold standard for reference checks, but email is often the first point of contact. A well-written email gets a faster response, sets a professional tone, and gives the reference time to prepare before the call. Here are four ready-to-use templates for the most common reference check scenarios.

Template 1: Initial Outreach to a Reference

Subject: Reference Request for [Candidate Name]

Hi [Reference Name],

My name is [Your Name] and I am the [Your Title] at [Company Name]. [Candidate Name] has applied for the [Job Title] position with our team and has listed you as a professional reference.

I would love to connect for a brief 10 to 15 minute phone call at your convenience to learn more about [Candidate Name]’s work experience and professional strengths. Please let me know a few times that work for you and I will follow up to confirm.

I appreciate your time and look forward to speaking with you.

Best regards, [Your Name] [Your Title] [Company Name] [Phone Number]

Template 2: Follow-Up Email If No Response After 48 Hours

Subject: Following Up: Reference Request for [Candidate Name]

Hi [Reference Name],

I wanted to follow up on my previous message regarding a reference for [Candidate Name]. We are moving forward in our hiring process and hoping to connect with references this week.

If a phone call is not convenient, I am happy to send a few questions by email instead. Please let me know what works best for you.

Thank you again for your time.

Best regards, [Your Name] [Your Title] [Company Name] [Phone Number]

Template 3: Email Reference Check (When Phone Is Not Possible)

Subject: Reference Questions for [Candidate Name]

Hi [Reference Name],

Thank you for agreeing to serve as a reference for [Candidate Name]. To make this as easy as possible for you, I have put together a short list of questions below. Please feel free to respond at your convenience and know that all responses will remain confidential.

1. How long did you work with [Candidate Name] and in what capacity?
2. How would you describe their overall work performance?
3. What would you say are their greatest professional strengths?
4. Were there any areas where you felt they needed further development?
5. How did they handle pressure and tight deadlines?
6. Would you rehire them if the opportunity arose?

Please feel free to add anything else you feel would be helpful. I appreciate your time and candid feedback.

Best regards, [Your Name] [Your Title] [Company Name] [Phone Number]

Template 4: Thank You Email After a Reference Call

Subject: Thank You for Your Time, [Reference Name]

Hi [Reference Name],

Thank you for taking the time to speak with me today about [Candidate Name]. Your insights were genuinely helpful and I appreciate your candor and professionalism throughout our conversation.

If anything else comes to mind that you would like to share, please do not hesitate to reach out. I will keep everything we discussed completely confidential.

Thanks again and I hope we have the opportunity to connect again in the future.

Best regards, [Your Name] [Your Title] [Company Name] [Phone Number]

Quick Answer: Use an initial outreach email to request a reference call, a follow-up template if there is no response after 48 hours, an email-based question template when a phone call is not possible, and a thank-you email after the call is complete. All four templates above are free to copy and customize for your hiring process.

What Questions Are Illegal to Ask During a Reference Check?

Knowing what to ask is only half the job. Knowing what you legally cannot ask is just as important. Asking the wrong questions during a reference check can expose your company to discrimination claims and legal liability under federal and state employment law.

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission prohibits employment decisions based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, or genetic information. These protections extend to the reference check process, not just the interview itself.

Questions you should never ask a reference:

• How old is the candidate? (Age Discrimination in Employment Act)
• Does the candidate have any disabilities or health conditions? (Americans with Disabilities Act)
• What is the candidate’s religion or place of worship?
• Is the candidate pregnant or planning to have children?
• What is the candidate’s sexual orientation or gender identity?
• What country is the candidate originally from?
• Has the candidate ever filed a workers’ compensation claim?

Some states go further. California, New York, and Illinois have additional restrictions around salary history and criminal background questions during the hiring process, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Always check your state’s specific employment laws before conducting reference checks.

A practical rule of thumb: if the question has nothing to do with the candidate’s ability to perform the specific job you are hiring for, don’t ask it. Stick to work performance, job duties, reliability, and professional conduct.

Here’s the section plus placement advice:

What Should You Do If a Reference Says Something Negative?

A negative reference is not automatically a dealbreaker, but it does require careful handling. How you respond depends on the severity of what was said, whether the concern is job-relevant, and whether the negative feedback is isolated or part of a pattern across multiple references.

The first thing to do is stay calm and keep listening. Do not cut the conversation short. A reference who volunteers a concern is giving you valuable information, and the details that follow the initial comment are often more revealing than the comment itself. Take detailed notes and let them finish without interrupting.

According to SHRM, a single negative reference among otherwise strong ones should be weighed carefully rather than treated as disqualifying. Context matters enormously. A former manager who describes a candidate as “difficult to manage” in a highly bureaucratic environment may be describing exactly the kind of independent thinker you are looking for in a startup.

How to evaluate a negative reference:

• Is the concern directly relevant to the role you are hiring for? A history of missing deadlines matters far more for a project manager than for a research analyst.
• Is it a pattern or an isolated incident? One difficult relationship with one supervisor over a ten year career looks very different from consistent feedback across multiple references.
• Does the negative feedback contradict what the candidate told you in the interview? Significant discrepancies are a serious red flag worth investigating further.
• Is the reference speaking from personal experience or passing along secondhand information? Stick to what they directly witnessed.
• Does the tone of the reference suggest a personal conflict rather than a professional assessment? Bitter former managers exist, and their feedback deserves appropriate skepticism.

If a reference raises a serious concern, the right move is to go back to the candidate before making a decision. Give them the opportunity to address the feedback without revealing the source. Frame it neutrally: “During our reference process, a concern came up around your ability to meet deadlines under pressure. Can you speak to that?” Their response will tell you as much as the reference did.

If two or more references raise the same concern independently, treat it as a pattern. The Society for Human Resource Management recommends conducting a minimum of three reference checks specifically so that patterns become visible rather than relying on any single data point.

Quick Answer: A negative reference should be evaluated in context, not treated as an automatic disqualification. Assess whether the concern is job-relevant, whether it appears across multiple references, and whether it contradicts what the candidate told you directly. Always give the candidate a chance to respond before making a final decision.

If you do not have the time to sort through hundreds or thousands of resumes and need the top, qualified, screened and reference checked talent contact one of the best IT staffing agencies in Atlanta the industry insiders at Apollo Technical.