SDR reference checks

Use the reference check to make a hiring decision after the interviews. The call is most useful when you take one specific candidate claim into it and ask the reference what they observed. A broad endorsement gives you little to compare with the interview. A concrete account gives you something to assess against the role's demands.

Set the purpose and timing

Decide what the call must settle before you contact anyone. A reference check works best when it answers a defined hiring question.

Run the check after the applicant pool has narrowed to the top candidate or candidates.¹ Complete it after the debrief and before extending an offer.² Use the call to verify information, learn about abilities, and improve your read on likely on-the-job success.^{3, 4, 5}

Write down the claim you want to test and the decision it affects. You might verify ownership of a result, understand how the candidate responds to coaching, or learn what conditions bring out their best work. Keep the question tied to the role so the reference does not steer the conversation into general praise.

Build the question set

Before dialing, decide what you need to verify, explore, and use in the hiring decision. The guide runs from preparation and planning through evaluation and applicant feedback.⁶ Treat its reference form as a template and customize it to the needs of your hiring organization.⁷ Use preliminary and verification questions when your purpose is to check information gathered elsewhere.⁸ Add competency assessment when you are using a competency-based approach.⁹

Build your questions around the gaps left by the interview:

• What did the candidate own from start to finish?
• Which work habits helped the candidate perform well?
• Where did the candidate need the most direction?
• How did the candidate respond when a manager challenged their approach?
• What would you want the next manager to know before hiring this person?

Put the most decision-sensitive question early enough for the reference to answer it fully. Keep follow-up questions ready for claims that sound polished but lack an observable example.

Choose the reference and get permission

Reference quality depends on who you speak with and what they can discuss. Handle permission and source selection before you ask about performance.

Candidates should generally have given permission for reference checking to be conducted.¹⁰ References provided by candidates can be overly biased toward the applicant,¹¹ so record the relationship and treat positive feedback as information to test. A person the candidate did not directly provide is a backdoor reference,¹² and searching beyond the supplied references can create risk for the employer.¹³

Start with the references the candidate has named. Confirm what the reference is comfortable discussing and explain the areas you need to verify. Company policies often limit HR representatives, managers, and others to sharing salary and dates of service about a former employee.¹⁴ If the conversation stays within those limits, capture the confirmation and move to another reference or verification method.

Run the call

Keep the opening short and explain why you are calling. Let the reference describe the working relationship before you ask for judgments about performance.

A manager asks introductory questions and focuses on areas where more information is needed about the candidate.¹⁵ Ask how the reference worked with the candidate, what the candidate handled directly, and which parts of the interview story the reference can confirm. When the reference gives a general answer, ask for the situation behind it.

Use the call to understand what motivates the candidate.¹⁶ Then ask whether the environment you are offering can support those motivations, since that understanding should inform the hiring decision.¹⁷ Useful questions include:

• What kind of work brought the most energy from the candidate?
• What conditions made it easier for the candidate to perform?
• What caused the candidate to lose momentum?
• How did the candidate react when priorities changed?

Move on when you have a clear account of the working relationship, the candidate's behavior, and the conditions around the result. If an answer remains vague, stay with that question instead of filling the silence with the next one.

Test the story against observed work

Compare what the candidate said with what another person observed. Reference checking can verify information from the application, resume, and interview.¹⁸ It can also provide a different perspective on the candidate and give the hiring manager a better picture of how the candidate may perform on the job.^{19, 20}

For each important answer, write down the original claim, the example the reference gave, and what that example means for the role. Ask questions such as:

• What did the candidate do personally in that situation?
• What happened after the candidate acted?
• What would you expect the candidate to repeat in a new team?
• What would you coach first?

When a reference confirms a strength or achievement, ask for a situational example to support the claim.²¹ Move forward when the account contains behavior you can assess. If the reference only repeats the candidate's wording, mark the point as unverified and seek another way to test it.

Make the decision and close the loop

End the call by separating confirmed facts, unresolved questions, and concerns that could affect the hire. Keep material gaps visible even when the conversation is warm.

If the initial call leaves an important question unresolved, a second reference with a stakeholder who worked alongside the candidate can test the issue from another angle.²² Compare the reference notes with the interview debrief and the requirements of the role. A concern that changes your view of likely performance deserves a clear decision, a follow-up check, or a reason to stop.

Record the decision while the conversation is fresh. Keep the notes tied to observed work and the hiring criteria, and give the candidate a clear next step through your normal process.

What not to do

A few shortcuts weaken the check before the call has produced anything useful.

• Treating reference checking as a checkbox in the interview process wastes the chance to learn how the candidate works.²³
• Handing the whole check to HR when you own the hire removes the person closest to the job from the assessment.²⁴
• Accepting a broad endorsement without asking for a situational example leaves the candidate's claim unsupported.²¹