8 Thorough Employment Reference Check Questions for Screening as an Employer

Employment reference check questions are used to assess an applicant’s previous job performance by gathering data from the people who have interacted with them, such as colleagues, bosses, and subordinates.

Employment reference check questions allow a hiring manager to understand a candidate’s work habits, ability to work well with others, level of professionalism, and overall job performance—factors that indicate if the candidate is a good fit for the position and organisation.

Reference checks are also conducted by employers to verify the information provided by a potential employee. This includes checking past roles, skills, ethics, job performance, educational background and qualifications, attitude, and other relevant information.

How to do a reference check as an employer? Simply contact the references listed on a candidate’s resume or job application and ask questions that will elicit the data relevant to making a hiring decision. If there are no references listed, ask the candidate to provide them. It is also important for employers to respect the candidate’s privacy and ensure that all information gathered during the reference check is kept confidential.

Check our guide on verifying a candidate’s credentials here.

It’s crucial to ask the right questions to get the most useful and accurate information. Here are some common employee reference check questions and answers to jumpstart the process.

What this reveals: What the candidate was involved in relative to the work process, which may differ from their job title. It also shows what they spent most of their time and effort on in their previous organisation.

What this reveals: The scope of the candidate’s knowledge about their work and whether or not they were able to apply this knowledge to get things done.

What this reveals: How they tend to interact with customers—were they patient or easily irritated? Able to instil calm, or prone to escalating conflict? This is particularly relevant when hiring for a client-facing position.

What this reveals: How the candidate performs under stress, including managing deadlines that have been moved up, sudden requests for changes by the client, and other such situations that inevitably arise in the workplace.

What this reveals: If the candidate is a team player or a loner if they have a good attitude, and if they can work well with others. This may also indicate if the candidate is a good cultural fit.

What this reveals: Whether or not they have the right skills and attitude for the role, and the areas where they may need more guidance, training, and feedback at work.

What this reveals: The importance of the candidate’s contributions to their previous organisation, and whether or not they were able to build a good reputation for themselves there.

What this reveals: Whether or not the candidate was able to implement plans or programs that resulted in positive outcomes for the company.

By asking the right reference check questions, employers can gain insight into a candidate’s suitability for the role and their potential ‘fit’ in the organisation. Reference checks are an important part of the hiring process and can help employers make more informed decisions when it comes to selecting the best candidate.