CLIENT RESOURCE | INTERVIEW & EVALUATE
References & Hiring Due Diligence
Thoughtful reference calls confirm what people do well, how they work with others, and what someone who knows their work would trust them to handle. Keep the conversation focused, practical, and brief.
WHY THE CALL MATTERS
A great reference adds context, not just praise.
The candidate chose these people for a reason. You should generally expect strong recommendations. What makes the conversation valuable is learning how the person works, what they contributed, and what someone who knows their work would trust them to do again.
Firsthand examples, not secondhand impressions.
Judgment, follow-through, collaboration, and leadership behavior.
Specific strengths, working conditions, and responsibilities.
WHO TO ASK
Different working relationships reveal different strengths.
Ask the candidate for references who have directly worked with them in several capacities. Choose perspectives that matter for this role; you do not need all five for every search.
Direction & accountability
Business results, decision-making, and how they responded to expectations and feedback.
Collaboration
What it was like to solve problems, handle competing priorities, and share responsibility.
Leadership in practice
How they coached, communicated, delegated, and supported the people doing the work.
Credibility & service
Trust, follow-through, commercial judgment, and handling difficult situations.
Working across boundaries
Reliability, negotiation, expectations, and relationships outside the organization.
Work through candidate-approved contacts. Do not independently approach a current employer or other unapproved contact. A reference’s perspective is limited to what they personally observed.
A CONCISE, PURPOSEFUL CALL
Ten to fifteen minutes is enough to learn something useful.
Prepare the same core questions for every candidate being considered for the role. Keep the evaluation scorecard in front of you, respect the reference’s time, and allow the conversation to flow naturally.
Establish the relationship.
How did you work together, for how long, and which part of the candidate’s work did you see directly?
Explore what matters.
Ask the same three prepared core questions for each candidate’s references. Request a concrete example, and follow up when an answer reveals a material concern or unanswered question.
Close with judgment.
What would you confidently ask this person to take on again? Would you work with or hire them again? Is there anything important we have not discussed?
Agree on the same three core questions for every candidate considered for this role, and have your evaluation scorecard in front of you. Confirm with HR who may make the calls, when they may take place, and which contacts the candidate has approved. Never contact a current employer without explicit permission.
Note what was said, confirm the reference’s firsthand knowledge, and investigate material differences fairly before making a decision.
QUESTIONS WORTH THE TIME
Ask the same core questions. Follow the evidence.
Use these three core questions consistently for references provided by candidates under consideration for the same position. Record answers against the same scorecard criteria. Adapt only the context to what each reference directly observed; investigate job-related concerns with appropriate follow-ups.
How did you work with this person, and what did you observe firsthand?
What did they do particularly well? Can you give me an example?
Would you work with or hire them again? What would you trust them to handle?
More questions for a specific concern or role Optional follow-ups
Keep the three core questions consistent. Use one or two additional questions only to explore a role-relevant issue or missing evidence, and apply the same evaluation standard to each candidate.
Scope and ownership
What was the most consequential business initiative you saw this person lead? Which decisions were theirs and which depended on others?
Execution under constraint
Tell me about an unexpected setback during that work. How did they adjust priorities, resources, or expectations?
Leadership and development
What did this person improve in the team’s capability or operating rhythm that lasted after their direct involvement?
Cross-functional judgment
Where did the person encounter legitimate disagreement with peers? What did you observe them do?
Conditions for success
Under what circumstances did they have the greatest impact? What authority, support, or context helped them perform?
A balanced view
What type of business challenge would you confidently ask this person to take on again? What would you want them to develop further?
Scale and transferability
How did their responsibilities and results change as the organization grew, contracted, integrated, or changed direction?
Verification of a claim
The candidate described leading [specific initiative]. What part of that work did you observe, and what result can you confirm?
OTHER DUE DILIGENCE
Some things require verification beyond a conversation.
Reference calls help establish working context and judgment. Use consistent job-related questions and scorecard criteria. Credentials, employment records, regulated-role requirements, and third-party checks call for different processes.
View the verification checklist Credentials, records & compliance
| What you need to validate | Appropriate source or approach |
|---|---|
| Leadership scope, decision ownership, and business outcomes | Relevant interviews, direct references, and substantiated work examples. |
| Licensure, professional credentials, or required certifications | Issuing authorities or appropriate verification services. |
| Employment dates or education credentials | Authorized records or formal verification processes. |
| Material safety, compliance, and regulated-role requirements | Role-specific checks coordinated by HR, legal, or qualified specialists. |
| Third-party background or consumer reports | Employer-approved processes and applicable notice, authorization, privacy, and adverse-action requirements. |
Requirements differ by jurisdiction and type of check. Coordinate with HR or counsel, including Fair Credit Reporting Act obligations when a covered third-party consumer report is involved.
CLOSE THE LOOP
What did you learn that changes the decision?
A reference should add confidence through specific examples or identify something worth investigating. Compare it with the business need and interview evidence, and document what remains open. Follow HR or employment counsel’s guidance if the information changes the hiring decision.
Strong recommendations supported by credible, firsthand examples.
Qualified praise, hesitation, or limited exposure that warrants a fair follow-up.
Proceed, validate further, or revisit how the role will be supported.