Reference Checks

A recent survey found that 78% of more than 1,300 responding companies say they do provide references. Do you know what your former employer will say about you to a prospective employer?

At the very least, an HR office will usually verify (1) that you did work there, (2) the dates of employment, and (3) the job title. The company may or may not release salary information or the reason why an employment relationship ended. Many companies refuse to offer more than dates of employment, salary history and job title. My previous employers would only verify dates of employment, job title, and salary. Ask your previous HR department what their policy is on responding to reference checks.

It’s important that you are honest in your responses to questions in an interview. The questions that are asked of your reference may virtually be identical to the questions you were asked during your interview in order to corroborate or negate your responses.

General impressions
- How would you characterize your experience working with this person?

Personal attributes
- What kinds of personal qualities come to mind when you think of him/her?

Technical skills
- This person would be responsible for handling XXX duties. Is there anything in this person's performance history that would cause you concern about their ability or appropriateness to do these tasks?
- What is the person's level of technical expertise in the essential job functions I need?

Achievements
- What impact has this person had on the organization? In his/her department?
- What are his/her biggest accomplishments or key contributions to the organization (examples)?
- How does this person compare with other executives in similar positions in your organization or comparable organizations?
- What kind of legacy did the candidate leave?

Leadership skills
- How would you describe his/her style of leadership?
- How is she/he a visionary? Examples?
- How has he/she been able to increase the visibility of the organization?
- How creative is the person in building resources and diversifying funding? Has he/she done fundraising?


Strategic thinking abilities
- What involvement did the candidate have in developing the strategic plan for the department or organization? What specifically did she/he contribute?
- How has the person demonstrated his/her strategic thinking ability? Examples?

Management style
- How would you characterize the person’s general management style? (e.g., authoritative, consultative, task-master, etc.)?
- How does he/she go about managing up?
- What type of work environment does he/she need to succeed?
- How would the candidate’s direct reports describe his or her management style? Supervisors?
- How does the person go about making tough decisions? Is she/he inclusive? Fair? Abrupt? Random? Other?

Operational effectiveness
- How much experience did this person have doing XXX for you, and how well did they do it?
- Please describe his/her operational and (if relevant) financial management abilities.
- What types of policies, procedures, or processes did the candidate implement?

Emotional intelligence
- How does the candidate deal with conflict? How rigid or flexible is she or he?
- How did you see him/her grow while you were working together?
- How well does this person build consensus among constituents with differing opinions or interests? Examples?

Internal and external communication skills
- How would you describe the candidate’s communication skills: verbal and written?
- How well does this person listen? How does she/he engage people?
- How often and did she/he keep his or her supervisors, direct reports, peers, etc. updated
- What methods did he or she use?

Areas for development and support
-What do you anticipate I will find to be this person's real strengths, and what areas would benefit from constructive coaching or mentoring?
- Given that no one is perfect and everyone has areas in which he or she can improve, can you describe any areas he/she can or should continue to develop?
- From what you have shared, can you tell me how this trait has impacted the person or the rest of the team? Do you see any liabilities or downsides to the candidate taking this position?
- What have been the person’s biggest professional challenges? How did she/he overcome them? Examples?
- If you were to do an appraisal on this candidate, what would his/her development objectives be?
- What would you see as the ideal position for him/her? Why?
- Where does he/she need the most support?

It is illegal for a former employer to purposefully give false information for the sake of harming one's reputation or preventing one from obtaining employment. It is illegal or unethical for a potential employer to ask a reference a personal question that is not directly related to your ability to do the job or any questions that would disclose any medical or disability information that could have a discriminatory impact on an employer’s decision to hire you. It’s inappropriate for an employer to ask your reference about your race, color, religion, nationality or ethnic background, age, disability status, martial status, parenting responsibilities or about your sexual orientation. References cannot be asked from clergy or any other persons who might reflect race, color, religion, sex, national origin or ancestry.

Always check with everyone on your list of references to be sure the contact information is current, and verify the person knows and agrees that she/he will be listed as a reference.

Prep your references. Let them know that you are interviewing with XYZ company and that he/she should be receiving a phone call in XX number of days. Tell your references the title of the position and provide them with a brief description and the requirements of the job. And don't forget to thank your references after you've gotten the job. You might need to utilize them as references again in the future so don't be a stranger and forget to keep in touch with them.

If you were fired or left on bad terms you may want to consider using a reference checking company to unmask what your past employer will say about you.