Reference check
Also called: reference call
How to actually do one
A useful reference call is 15-20 minutes. Three question patterns get you most of what you need:
- Verify: “Walk me through their role and what they actually owned.” Confirms the CV.
- Calibrate: “On a 1-10 scale, how strong was their work?” Forces a number out of the polite language.
- Triangulate: “If we hired them tomorrow, what would we need to be careful about?” Surfaces the soft caveats.
Skip the questions whose answers are already in the CV.
When to do it
Just before the offer, never before. Earlier checks burn relationships and tell the candidate’s current employer they’re job-hunting. Most companies do 2-3 references on a final-round candidate; senior roles get more.
What you cannot ask
Most European jurisdictions limit what you can ask: nothing about health, family status, age, religion, or political affiliation. Stick to job performance and verifiable history.
Where Join fits
Reference notes attach to the candidate record in Join so the hiring manager and recruiter see the same source material. See the features page.
