I’ve heard so many times before that there’s no such thing as a bad reference or why would you put someone down on your resume if they were going to give you a bad reference? Don’t buy into this. I’ve attempted to conduct reference checks where a referee has refused to provide the reference. I’ve also completed references where the referee has said they would not re-employ the person or has marked them down heavily on competencies of key importance to the role in question. But more often than not when a reference check rings alarm bells it is because of what isn’t said rather than because of what is. Sometimes it is just something in the tone of the referee’s voice. If there is anything about the reference that gives you cause for doubt treat this very seriously. If you are on the fence, sometimes it is best to conduct additional reference checks to help you make your decision.

I would recommend at a minimum, that you complete a couple of detailed verbal reference checks, preferably with someone the candidate has reported to directly. Written references are barely worth the paper they are written on and where a reference check is too brief you may miss out on core information. I once had a boss who was asked for a brief reference on a previous Manager. He answered all of the questions enthusiastically. “Yes, he was always punctual. Yes, he was always well-presented. Yes, his people skills were good.” When he got to the end of the reference check and the person undertaking it was about to end the call he prompted them with “Aren’t you going to ask me if there is anything else we need to discuss in relation to Sam? Because if you did ask me I’d let you know that I dismissed him for theft.” I have attached a suggested reference check template below. I would urge you ask all questions when conducting reference checks but if you are going to take a shortcut, always ask the last two questions – “Would you re-employ the candidate if you had the opportunity to do so?” and “Is there anything else that we need to discuss in relation to the candidate?” If they are all you have time for these two questions alone will provide you with a lot of the information you are looking for.