Due to their perception that reference checks cause unneeded delays, many hiring managers give them little weight. In such a fast-moving world, itâs no wonder. But even though we can get away with that strategy for a while, it will eventually catch up with us.
- Please describe your relationship to the candidate. …
- What are the candidate’s strengths and weaknesses? …
- Does the candidate work well with others? …
- Can you describe a time when you watched the candidate face a challenging or stressful situation?
Why is contacting personal references important?
It’s crucial to get in touch with a candidate’s personal references since they have first-hand knowledge of their interactions with the applicant. To help you better understand their character and personality traits, they can share personal experiences. A personal reference can provide information about how the applicant behaves outside of the workplace, whereas professional references—typically from coworkers and supervisors—can describe how the applicant behaves in the workplace.
Personal recommendations can also disclose any potential flaws the applicant may have that you may not be aware of, as their application materials typically do not contain this information. You can get a good sense of an employee’s personality traits and character in general by speaking with their friends or coworkers. In order to determine whether they are a good fit for your team and the role, you should also observe how they work with others.
What is a personal reference?
A personal reference is someone who knows the applicant well and can attest to their abilities, character, work ethic, and other qualities. You can get firsthand feedback on a candidate’s work ethic, teamwork abilities, and capacity for handling the role responsibilities from personal references after you’ve been impressed by their application materials or interview. A candidate’s former professor, colleague, friend, academic advisor, or coach are acceptable personal references.
Questions to ask a personal reference
You can confirm the details on a candidate’s resume and get clarification on specific claims by politely questioning their personal references. Some questions to ask a personal references include:
1. Please describe your relationship to the candidate
To determine the type of perspective the reference is offering, you should first find out how they know the candidate. This can help you determine which followup questions to ask. Employees who shared a sports team with the candidate, for instance, may have a strong understanding of their capacity for collaboration and teamwork, while a former volunteer manager may be able to provide details about the candidate’s work ethic and passion.
2. What are the candidates strengths and weaknesses?
Usually, a candidate’s references present a different perspective than the candidate is usually able to understand on their own. This is why it’s crucial to find out what the applicant sees as their strengths and weaknesses while also asking the same questions of their references. You can evaluate how these answers differ.
References may include information about how particular flaws affect a candidate’s overall job performance. Some references discuss a candidate’s shortcomings as well as what they did to strengthen their performance and improve themselves.
3. Does the candidate work well with others?
Knowing how a candidate interacts with friends and coworkers provides insight into how well they will work with others in their new role. This response also reveals how adeptly they may manage and settle disputes with other workers.
4. Can you describe a time when you watched the candidate face a challenging or stressful situation? How did they handle it?
Almost every job requires employees to deal with difficult problems or stressful situations. Inquire from the references about any instances when the candidates had to deal with difficult situations, such as pressing deadlines or difficult projects. They might share information with you about the candidate’s approach to overcoming obstacles and dealing with challenging circumstances in a professional, responsible, and mature manner.
5. Would you describe the candidate as dependable?
The reference should have firsthand knowledge of the candidate’s dependability because they might spend a lot of time with them. They can cite personal anecdotes and instances where the employee fulfilled their promises to demonstrate the candidate’s dependability.
6. What are some accomplishments youve noticed the candidate reach?
The reference should be able to recall events where they completed a task that benefited the candidate, a specific friend, their team, or a group of friends with ease if the candidate is driven and motivated. A candidate who meets the criteria for impressive accomplishments typically goes above and beyond the requirements of their regular responsibilities.
7. Would you hire this candidate?
This is a crucial inquiry because it typically elicits the reference’s candid assessment and prompts them to imagine working with the applicant. They can highlight the qualities the candidate has that they think would make them a great employee. Additionally, it provides the reference with an opportunity to understand your situation from their perspective and to describe the strong points and skill sets the applicant possesses that could have a big impact on the business.
8. What skills does the candidate have that you believe make them stand out as a quality candidate?
This response gives you the chance to discover more about the abilities listed on the resume of the candidate. Given that the applicant uses these skills outside of work, the references may notice abilities that others are unaware of. They might even point out abilities the applicant possesses that the applicant may not have recognized on their own. Imagine how they could apply these skills to the position you are hiring for as you consider their response.
9. How would you describe the candidates communication and listening skills?
References may provide insight into the candidate’s interpersonal skills and be able to describe how well they interact with others and listen to them on a regular basis in their personal lives. These are crucial abilities for any employee to possess, especially if they’ll frequently interact with coworkers or are applying for a position where they’ll be dealing with customers.
You can also tell if a candidate has the potential to be a strong leader by looking at their communication and listening skills. If they exhibit qualities of a strong leader, they may have a better chance of moving up the corporate ladder and eventually making wise long-term decisions.
10. Would you ever work with this candidate?
This question can help you determine the references’ personal interactions with the candidate and whether they would translate that to their professional interactions as well. If the reference responds affirmatively with little to no hesitation, it may be a sign that the applicant is pleasant to be around and will foster a positive environment for other applicants. Ask them to explain if they seem more hesitant or give a more negative response to learn more about the candidate from their perspective.
11. Describe the candidates work ethic.
This response reveals more about the applicant’s diligence and level of dedication to the position. Ask them about instances when they saw the applicant put in extra effort on a project or assignment and how the project’s results turned out. Knowing how diligently a candidate works on their side projects can be a good sign of how well they will perform their job duties.
The Best Reference Questions To Ask
FAQ
How do you do a personal reference check?
- Verify the candidate’s name. …
- Confirm how they know the candidate. …
- Ask what makes the candidate a good fit. …
- Have the reference rank the candidate. …
- Find out the candidate’s strengths and weaknesses. …
- Ask about the candidate’s behavior. …
- Take the process seriously. …
- Conduct two verbal checks.
What is the best question to ask when you conduct a reference check?
- What was your relationship with the candidate?
- How long did you work with each other?
- How would you rate their work?
- What were their daily duties?
- What were their main responsibilities?
- Were they dependable? …
- Did they complete the tasks and assignments given to them?
