Whether you are signing up a huge supplier, hiring an employee or thinking of making an investment, reference calls are absolutely crucial. Before I learned how to do them properly, they were purely factual in nature, “Hey, did Jim work with you from 2011 to 2013? What was his job title?” For a very long time, I thought that was all reference calls were good for. Oh, how wrong I was. Over the years, I learned that there are six awesome questions you can ask to get the answers you are looking for.
In this example, I will assume that I’m hiring someone, but the same logic applies to all other situations where you may need to call references.
Why do reference calls?
I originally assumed that a reference call exists to check whether a job candidate is bending the truth or straight-up lying to you. That, it turns out, isn’t the case. I mean, it is that, also, but it isn’t what the reference calls are for. The main purpose is to get a deeper understanding of the person you are about to do business with. Determine what drives them, figure out whether and how they fit into your organization, and — perhaps most importantly — figure out what to talk with them about in subsequent conversations.
There are two parts to reference calls: Who do you call and what do you ask? This article will cover both. These days, I would not even consider making an investment, hiring a staff member or taking a job (or a serious, multimonth consulting engagement) without doing three reference calls.
What to ask
The format is pretty simple — you’re going to need 15 to 20 minutes (although the very best reference calls run to 30 minutes) and, in my experience, six quick questions are plenty to go get a good conversation going.
How long have you known X and in what capacity? This question sets the baseline and gives context for everything that comes next. Were they housemates? Co-workers? Were they a direct manager?
What most positively surprised you about X? Start positive — let people get a bit of time to get warmed up. Take notes: You often get some really important information here, which you can use to get the most out of your staff member.
What do you think X could benefit from improving? It’s a fair question and a chance for red flags to surface if they exist. Usually, nothing serious comes up here, and you’ll already know the type of issues that come up. That’s fine; nobody is perfect, the point is to go into things with eyes open. Some companies and people have policies that indicate they won’t say anything negative here — and be aware that some people may have a personal dislike against the person you are asking about, so take everything with a wheelbarrow of salt.
What do you wish you had known before you first worked with X? This is a beautiful one. Usually, positive things come up here. “I wish I knew that X was ridiculously good at scanning for issues at the earliest stages of a project. If I’d known, I’d have pulled them in earlier in the process.” If issues come up, that’s fine.
What question do you wish I had asked you about X? This is the holy grail of interview questions, and I ask it at the end of every interview I ever do. It’s met with a blank stare 80% of the time. The remaining 20%, it’s the start of the most important part of the conversation.
Is there anyone else I should talk about X with? Give your interviewee a chance to offer up a blind reference. Most of the time, the answer is “no.” Sometimes, you get an “I worked with X, but you really want to talk to Michael. They worked really closely together; I’m surprised you’re not talking to him.”
What to listen out for
Once you’ve done a few reference calls, you’ll start learning what to listen for. For your very best candidates, the references will often clear their calendar, and they will be effusive with praise — but not exclusively. Everyone has their quirks and idiosyncrasies — if none of them turn up in the reference call, then it’s likely that the reference is holding back or not being fully forthright. That doesn’t necessarily mean anything bad — some people are just eager to help their friends — but in my experience, the best references are well rounded and often surprisingly frank.
Of course, remember that everyone has their own perspective, and the reference calls aren’t the Ultimate Truth — it’s possible you have called someone who has dynamics with the candidate that you aren’t aware of. Take everything (both praise and criticism) with a pinch of salt. But it’s also worth noting the things you find.
Go through anything that surprised you, whether positive or negative, with the candidate on your next interview. “Hey, I didn’t realize you could do X! That’s great, tell me more about that,” or, “Something came up in a reference call; someone mentioned that you can be a harsh manager. Is that your style? How is that working for you? Do you think it is something you could work on?”
Three references
In my experience, the best call list for references is 2+1. Two references are provided by the person/organization you are seeking information about. You know that these people will be briefed that there’s going to be a call, and they’ve had some time to consider what to talk about.
The “+1” is a “blind” or “back channel” reference. This is someone that your candidate hasn’t offered up as a reference. They could be a co-worker, a customer, a boss or a previous company. Obviously, you’ll want to be extra careful to think about the motivations of why this person is talking to you and what they share, but in my experience, blind reference calls are similar to the references your candidate offered up.
It’s a good idea to tell your candidate who you are talking to as a blind reference; if they are close enough to give a good reference, it will probably filter back to them anyway, and you don’t want to do anything underhanded. It’s also a good idea to tell them in advance that you will be doing one or more blind reference calls. Obviously, this could cause some anxiety or worries, and if your candidate pushes back against a blind reference call, the question, “What are you worried will happen?” or “What are you worried I’m about to find out?” can actually be a great way to break open another part of the conversation. If they had a competitive relationship with a past boss they were trying to keep quiet, that makes sense; everyone wants to paint themselves in a great light. But now that they know they’ll have to talk about it, it can help get that conversational ball rolling.
Take notes and make sure to discuss everything you discover with your potential candidate; that is, ultimately, the point of doing the calls in the first place.
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