Skip to content
CVChecl logo
  • Products
    • Our Checks
      • National Police Checks
      • Employment Reference Checks
      • Employment and Qualification Checks
      • VEVO Visa and Work Entitlement
      • Credit, Financial and Business Checks
      • Traffic and Licence Checks
      • Predictive Psychometric Assessments
      • International Checks
    • ID Requirements
    • Verify a CVCheck Certificate
    • CVCheck Help
  • About Us
    • Who we are
      • Our History
      • Our Mission and Values
      • Our Board
    • Why CVCheck
    • Integration Partners
    • Investor Center
  • Blog
  • Contact Us
Menu
  • Products
    • Our Checks
      • National Police Checks
      • Employment Reference Checks
      • Employment and Qualification Checks
      • VEVO Visa and Work Entitlement
      • Credit, Financial and Business Checks
      • Traffic and Licence Checks
      • Predictive Psychometric Assessments
      • International Checks
    • ID Requirements
    • Verify a CVCheck Certificate
    • CVCheck Help
  • About Us
    • Who we are
      • Our History
      • Our Mission and Values
      • Our Board
    • Why CVCheck
    • Integration Partners
    • Investor Center
  • Blog
  • Contact Us
CVCheck Checkpoint logo
Search
Close
  • Categories
    • HR
    • Recruitment
    • Talent Acquisition
    • Jobseekers
    • CVCheck News
    • Product News
    • News Affairs
  • Product News
    • National Police Checks
    • Employment Reference Checks
    • Employment and Qualifications Checks
    • VEVO Visa and Work Entitlement Checks
    • Credit, Financial and Business Checks
    • Traffic and License Checks
    • Predictive Psychometric Assessments
    • Working with Children
  • Resources
    • Articles
    • Announcements
    • Case Studies
    • eBooks
    • Infographics
    • Testimonials
    • Videos
    • White Papers
Menu
  • Categories
    • HR
    • Recruitment
    • Talent Acquisition
    • Jobseekers
    • CVCheck News
    • Product News
    • News Affairs
  • Product News
    • National Police Checks
    • Employment Reference Checks
    • Employment and Qualifications Checks
    • VEVO Visa and Work Entitlement Checks
    • Credit, Financial and Business Checks
    • Traffic and License Checks
    • Predictive Psychometric Assessments
    • Working with Children
  • Resources
    • Articles
    • Announcements
    • Case Studies
    • eBooks
    • Infographics
    • Testimonials
    • Videos
    • White Papers

Questions to ask in a reference check

  • CVCheck By CVCheck
  • April 17, 2019
  • Last updated on April 19, 2021
HR Staff Asking For Reference Check

Conducting a worthwhile reference check requires asking the right questions. We chatted to expert recruiter Tom Watt to get some tips...

Tom Watt, Talent Acquisition Partner at Ampion, believes that speaking to referees gives us an in-depth insight into the prospective employee.

Here, Tom shares his wisdom on some of the common mistakes hiring managers make when checking employment references, and what type of questions you should be asking.

Do reference checks matter?

Reference checking is an essential element of the hiring process, but – there are some common pitfalls to be aware of. These include:

  • Failing to prepare before the call: Do you know the referee’s name, their title, their relationship to your candidate, and all the other pertinent details?
  • Interrupting: Let the referee speak freely. As soon as you cut them off, they’ll be less willing to speak openly.
  • Cold calling: Make sure the referees know you will be contacting them. If you want to speak to anyone else, the candidate must make that connection first.

Key hack: Ask open-ended questions

It’s easy to fall into the trap of asking closed questions that deliver little to no value.

When you ask closed questions, you don’t really get any depth of information or insight into the personality or performance of the candidate.

Tom Watt Tweet

By asking open-ended questions, you can lead the referee in a certain direction and allow them to answer candidly. With the right approach, they may even diverge into other topics that provide relevant, insightful information you hadn’t planned for.

Top 10 questions to ask referees

  1. How well did the candidate work in their team? Tell me about the team, what the candidate
    worked on, how they contributed and how they fit in.

  2. What sets this candidate apart from people who you’ve worked with in similar roles?

  3. What quality or skills of the candidate had a positive impact on the organisation and/or their coworkers?

  4. If the opportunity arose, why would you re-hire (or decline to re-hire) the candidate?

  5. Can you tell me about the candidate’s communication skills? Not just how well they spoke to
    others, but their capacity to listen.

  6. Why did the candidate leave their role at your organisation?

  7. What was your professional relationship like with the candidate? And how did it evolve during the time you worked together?

  8. What was the candidate’s impact on your company? What unique skills, knowledge and
    competencies did they bring to improve the business?

  9. What were some of the candidate’s biggest achievements while working at your organisation?

  10. Why should I hire this candidate?

Tight on time? Use an online reference checking service

Finding the right employee for your organisation is essential, and conducting a thorough pre-employment reference and background check plays a huge role in this. With this in mind, many organistations engage a reference checking service.

At CVCheck, we perform reference checks for all sized businesses, across a range of industries. Save yourself the time and the hassle by simply booking one of our reference checks online here.

Download the top 10 questions to ask referees so that you can keep it on hand!

Download Now

Request a consultation

CVCheck is a leading provider of background screening services in Australia and New Zealand, conducting over 300,000 checks every year for businesses, government organisations, and individuals. Request a consultation with a member of our team to find out how we can help.

Recent Articles

cvcheck + subscribe hr image cz

CVCheck Integrates with Subscribe-HR

tonkin + taylor blog image cz

Discover how Tonkin + Taylor adopted an innovative solution and efficiencies to solve resource management challenges

us congressman lies have everyone talking about cv embellishments blog

U.S. Congressman’s lies have everyone talking about CV embellishments: here’s what to watch for

cvcheck blog images cz

Partnership Announcement: CVCheck and National Employment Services Sector

Browse by

Category

  • HR
  • Recruitment
  • Talent Acquisition
  • Jobseekers
  • CVCheck News
  • Product News
  • News Affairs

Product

  • National Police Checks
  • Employment Reference Checks
  • Employment and Qualifications Checks
  • VEVO Visa and Work Entitlement Checks
  • Credit, Financial and Business Checks
  • Traffic and License Checks
  • Predictive Psychometric Assessments
  • Working with Children

Resource

  • Articles
  • Announcements
  • Case Studies
  • eBooks
  • Infographics
  • Testimonials
  • Videos
  • White Papers

You may also like

Loading...
Employer Being Ghosted By Potential Candidate
4 steps to better recruitment so you don’t get ghosted
How To Hire Retail Staff
Your recruiting-for-retail checklist
thoughtful 60 years old businesswoman using laptop business vision.
Why you should sometimes say “no” to a reference request
us congressman lies have everyone talking about cv embellishments blog
U.S. Congressman’s lies have everyone talking about CV embellishments: here’s what to watch for
CVCheck Checkpoint logo
Powered by
CVCheck logo white

Browse checks

  • National Police Checks
  • Employment Reference Checks
  • Employment and Qualification Checks
  • VEVO Visa and Work Entitlement
  • Credit, Financial and Business Checks
  • Traffic and Licence Checks
  • Predictive Psychometric Assessments
  • International Checks

Quick links

  • About Us
  • Resources
  • CVCheck Help
  • Contact Us

Checkpoint Newsletter

Subscribe now

Connect with us

Facebook-f Linkedin-in Twitter Youtube Instagram
  • Copyright 2022 - CV Check Ltd
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Access

Get the latest news straight to your inbox

Checkpoint provides smart and creative insights in the form of useful tips, resources and relevant information. Each month we will send you the best updates so you stay informed.