在这篇文章中，我们将解释这些检查、它们为何重要、它们如何工作以及它们如何帮助您更全面地了解候选人。
什么是参考检查？
当您聘请背景调查公司对求职者进行审查时，您通常会要求他们代表您提取公共记录（例如犯罪记录、驾驶记录、民事法庭记录或信用记录）或验证求职者提供的信息在他们的简历上（例如工作经历、教育和其他证书）。
参考检查不完全适合这些类别中的任何一个。它们既不是关于候选人的直接公共记录搜索，也不是对关键细节（如职位或大学学位）的验证。相反，检查推荐信是招聘经理与熟悉候选人的人交谈的机会，可以讨论候选人的性格、职业道德、优势、劣势、团队合作方法和工作风格等细节。
参考检查中的具体动态和问题将根据您面试的人以及他们与候选人的关系而有所不同。许多雇主认为参考面试和工作经历验证是相同的，并期望在参考检查中提出的最关键问题涉及职位、就业日期和工作职责等细节。虽然在某些情况下可能会出现这些主题，但如果候选人列出的推荐人是前任经理或雇主，推荐人检查的核心好处是允许招聘经理提出更多主观问题。
在就业核实检查期间，过去的雇主通常不愿为不客观的问题提供答案。讨论意见问题——例如，通过谈论过去雇员的职业道德——有可能让过去的雇主接受诽谤索赔。因此，工作历史验证通常侧重于验证简历详细信息。
当候选人在他们的推荐人名单上列出某人时，暗示允许招聘经理提出更多主观的推荐人检查问题 - 并且推荐人坦率地回答这些问题。
10 个最好的问题来询问参考资料
现在我们了解了工作历史验证检查和参考检查之间的区别，让我们探索构成此面试步骤主干的参考检查问题的类型。
1. 你与候选人的关系是什么？
第一步应该是确定您正在与谁交谈以及他们与您的候选人分享什么样的关系。
求职者有时会列出过去的老板、经理或主管作为参考，但并非总是如此。同事、团队成员和同事；下属或直接下属；导师；他们过去自愿参与的个人只是参考可能落入的几个类别。对于目前在校或刚刚毕业的候选人，您可能还会与教授、教师、教练、辅导员或学校管理人员交谈。
预先询问关系将使您能够确定此人对您的候选人的了解程度，以及他们关系的范围和性质，他们彼此认识的时间以及其他有助于您确定其余对话的关键细节.
2. 您对候选人的印象如何？
转向一个广泛的问题可以为面试者提供一个开放式的机会来谈论候选人。提出这个问题可以让您详细了解候选人的性格、个性、工作风格、职业道德、优势、劣势、关键技能和其他细节，而无需针对每个类别提出具体的参考检查问题。
提出一个宽泛的问题还有助于营造一种悠闲、交谈的氛围，可以让参考变得轻松，并激发更多坦率的想法。请务必记下笔记，以便稍后提出后续问题。
3. 您认为应聘者有哪些主要优点和缺点？
虽然询问面试者对候选人的总体印象可能会自然地将谈话引向优势和劣势，但直接问这个问题也是值得的。了解推荐人对候选人的最佳或最差属性的评价可以让您了解候选人过去的工作表现以及他们在您的组织试图填补的职位上的表现如何。
了解候选人认为自己的优势和劣势是有帮助的，但听取第三方的见解通常更准确、更有价值。他们的回答可能会突出招聘的原因、应该促使您远离的危险信号，或者如果您选择提供工作机会，您应该了解的改进领域。
4. 这位应聘者的团队合作精神如何？
问一个关于你的候选人与他人合作和作为团队一部分的能力的问题是必不可少的。虽然团队合作对某些工作比其他工作更重要，但它们会影响从公司文化和员工士气到整个工作场所的沟通的方方面面。
5. 您如何定义候选人的首选工作风格？
专业人员以不同的方式工作。有些人喜欢协作、热闹的环境，而另一些人则是自主创业者，喜欢在工作时使用自己的设备。询问推荐人对候选人工作风格的见解可以帮助您确定此人是否适合您的组织。例如，如果您的办公室按照定期会议和签到的时间表运行，那么社交能力较低且独立性更强的员工可能不如那些通过与同事定期接触和互动而茁壮成长的人适合。另一方面，渴望社会工作环境的人可能不适合远程工作。
6. 告诉我一个你对候选人的工作印象深刻的经历。
“职业道德”是一个广义的术语，包含了多种不同的价值观，从努力工作到坚持、守时到整体专业精神。与其询问候选人的职业道德，不如试着让推荐人回忆一下他们对候选人印象深刻的时间。
他们选择讲述的故事可以揭示应聘者的工作风格、超越自我完成工作的习惯或主要成就。与听到有关职业道德的更广泛问题的答案相比，听到特定的轶事会告诉您更多有关候选人的职业道德的信息。
7. 如果我聘用这个候选人，你会给我什么建议，帮助他们茁壮成长？
这个问题很重要，因为它可以引发一系列不同的反应。一些推荐信可能涉及某些技能或熟练程度，这些技能或熟练程度可以帮助候选人发挥最大潜力，如果您雇用他们，这可以为您的入职策略或候选人的持续教育和培训计划提供信息。其他答案可能会提供有关如何有效管理候选人的提示。无论您收到什么答案，他们都会提供在您做出聘用决定后仍然有价值的信息。
8. 你会推荐这个候选人吗？
在大多数情况下，求职者会选择能代表他们积极发言的专业推荐人。因此，这个问题的答案不太可能是“否”——只要候选人请求允许列出专业参考并且与该人保持良好关系。听别人说明为什么候选人值得获得工作机会可能会帮助您确定自己的观点是否与该立场一致。
9. 其他参考检查问题
您可能会询问其他参考检查问题，具体取决于参考、他们与候选人的关系以及您从您提出的其他问题中收集的信息。例如，如果您正在与经理或主管交谈，则值得询问职位、职责、就业日期、离职原因和其他就业验证细节。如果您正在与过去的同事交谈，您可能会要求更深入地了解与候选人一起工作的感觉。
或者，如果受访者列出了您认为特别麻烦的具体弱点，例如沟通问题、拖延或难以接受经理的指导，您可能会要求详细说明或询问这些行为如何影响工作绩效。
如何评估参考检查
最终，有许多参考面试问题要问。在面试过程中的基本考虑是如何实时评估答案。
您是否从您询问的参考问题中获得了您想要的信息？参考资料是否没有您预期的那样即将到来？在整个面试过程中问自己这些问题可以帮助您决定是调整课程、结束面试还是提出后续问题以填写具体细节。
常见问题
参考检查会问哪些问题？
就业推荐信检查问题可能会有所不同，可能涉及一系列品质，包括性格、可靠性、职业道德、诚信、团队合作精神和过去的工作细节。检查参考文献时，请考虑所有这些类别以及更多类别。
你如何进行参考检查？
大多数雇主会要求候选人在他们的工作申请中提供一份包含两到三个专业推荐人的清单，或者在他们的简历或求职信中附上一份清单。在为这份工作选择了几位最终候选人后，招聘经理将联系推荐人——通常是通过电话——并进行一次简短的面试，其中包括他们的主要推荐人检查问题。在 GOOHO.CN，我们还可以代表您进行参考面谈。
参考检查包括什么？
招聘经理选择询问候选人的具体参考检查问题将根据职位、行业、成功担任该角色所需的技能或经验以及参考的身份而有所不同。我们提供了在检查参考文献时要问的推荐问题列表。
What Is a Reference Check?
When you hire a background check company to vet a job candidate, you are usually asking them to either pull public records on your behalf (such as criminal records, driving records, civil court records, or credit records) or verify information that the candidate provided on their resume (such as work history, education, and other credentials).
Reference checks don’t fit precisely into either of these categories. They are neither straightforward public record searches about a candidate nor verifications of key details such as job titles or college degrees. Rather, checking references is a hiring manager’s chance to speak with someone who knows the candidate well and can discuss the candidate’s character, work ethic, strengths, weaknesses, teamwork approach, and work style, among other details.
The specific dynamics and questions in a reference check will vary depending on who you are interviewing and what their relationship is to the candidate. Many employers assume that reference interviews and work history verifications are the same and expect that the most critical questions to ask on a reference check concern details such as job title, employment dates, and job responsibilities. While these topics may come up in some cases, if the candidate’s listed reference is a former manager or employer, the core benefit of the reference check will be to allow a hiring manager to ask more subjective questions.
During employment verification checks, past employers are often hesitant to provide answers to questions that aren’t objective. Discussing matters of opinion—by speaking about a past employee’s work ethic, for instance—has the potential to open up a past employer to a defamation claim. As a result, work history verifications usually focus on verifying resume details.
When a candidate lists someone on their reference list, there is implied permission for a hiring manager to ask more subjective reference check questions—and for the reference to answer those questions candidly.
10 Best Questions to Ask References
Now that we understand the difference between work history verification checks and reference checks, let’s explore the types of reference checking questions that form the backbone of this interview step.
1. What is or was your relationship with the candidate?
Step one should be to establish who you are talking to and what kind of relationship they share with your candidate.
Job seekers will sometimes list past bosses, managers, or supervisors as references, but not always. Colleagues, team members, and coworkers; subordinates or direct reports; mentors; and individuals they’ve volunteered with in the past are just a few of the categories into which references may fall. For candidates who are currently in school or have recently graduated, you may also be speaking with professors, teachers, coaches, guidance counselors, or school administrators.
Asking about the relationship up front will allow you to establish how well the individual knows your candidate plus the scope and nature of their relationship, how long they’ve known each other, and other key details that will help you orient the rest of the conversation.
2. What is your impression of the candidate?
Moving to a broad question can provide an open-ended opportunity for the interviewee to speak about the candidate. Asking this question can net you details about the candidate’s character, personality, work style, work ethic, strengths, weaknesses, key skills, and other details without having to ask specific reference check questions covering each category.
Asking a broad question can also help establish a laidback, conversational atmosphere, which can set the reference at ease and inspire more candid thoughts. Just be sure to take notes, so you can ask follow-up questions later.
3. Which main strengths and weaknesses do you think that the candidate has?
While asking about your interviewee’s overall impression of your candidate may steer the conversation naturally toward strengths and weaknesses, it’s also worth asking this question directly. Learning what a reference has to say about a candidate’s best or worst attributes can give you a window into the candidate’s past work performance and how well they might perform in the position that your organization is trying to fill.
It’s helpful to hear about what a candidate believes their own strengths and weaknesses are, but hearing insights from a third party is often more accurate and more valuable. Their answers may spotlight reasons to hire, red flags that should prompt you to stay away, or areas for improvement that you should know about if you choose to make a job offer.
4. What can you tell me about this candidate’s teamwork mentality?
It’s essential to ask a question about your candidate’s ability to work with others and function as part of a team. While teamwork and collaboration are more critical to some jobs than others, they can affect everything from company culture and staff morale to communication across the workplace.
5. How would you define the candidate’s preferred work style?
Professionals work in different ways. Some love a collaborative, bustling environment, while others are self-starters and prefer to be left to their own devices as they work. Asking references for insights into a candidate’s work style can help you determine whether the individual is a good fit for your organization. For instance, if your office runs on a schedule of regular meetings and check-ins, a less social and more independent worker might not be as strong a fit as someone who thrives on regular contact and interaction with coworkers. On the other hand, someone who craves a social work environment might not be the right candidate for a remote job.
6. Tell me about a time when you were impressed by the candidate’s work.
“Work ethic” is a broad term that incorporates multiple different values, from hard work to persistence to punctuality to overall professionalism. Rather than asking about a candidate’s work ethic, try asking the reference to recall a time when they were impressed by the candidate.
The story that they choose to tell could reveal the candidate’s work style, a habit of going above and beyond to complete a job, or a major accomplishment. Hearing a specific anecdote will tell you more about your candidate’s work ethic than hearing the answer to a broader query about work ethic.
7. What advice would you give me if I hire this candidate, to help them thrive?
This question is vital because it can prompt an array of different responses. Some references may speak to certain skills or proficiencies that would help a candidate reach their highest potential, which can inform your onboarding strategies or your ongoing education and training plans for the candidate if you hire them. Other answers might lead to tips on how to effectively manage the candidate. Regardless of the answers that you receive, they will provide information that could continue to be valuable after you make a hiring decision.
8. Would you recommend this candidate for the job?
In most cases, job seekers choose professional references who will speak positively on their behalf. As a result, the answer to this question is unlikely to be “no”—as long as the candidate asked permission to list the professional reference and is on good terms with that individual. Hearing someone make a case for why a candidate is worthy of a job offer may help you to decide whether your own views align with that stance.
9. Other reference check questions
There are other reference check questions that you might ask depending on the reference, their relationship to the candidate, and the information that you glean from other questions that you’ve asked. For instance, if you are talking to a manager or supervisor, it’s worth asking about job title, responsibilities, employment dates, reasons for leaving, and other employment verification details. If you are talking to a past coworker, you might ask for a more on-the-ground perspective on what it was like to work with the candidate.
Alternatively, if an interviewee lists specific weaknesses that you find to be particularly troubling—such as communication issues, procrastination, or difficulty taking direction from managers—you might ask for elaboration or inquire into how those behaviors affected job performance.
How to Evaluate a Reference Check
Ultimately, there are many reference interview questions to ask. The essential consideration as you move through the interview is how you will evaluate the answers in real-time.
Are you getting the information that you wanted from the reference questions that you are asking? Is the reference not being as forthcoming as you expected them to be? Asking yourself these kinds of questions throughout the interview can help you decide whether to adjust course, end the interview, or ask follow-up questions to fill in specific details.
FAQs
Which questions are asked in a reference check?
Employment reference check questions can vary and may touch upon an array of qualities, including character, dependability, work ethic, integrity, teamwork mentality, and past job details. Consider all these categories and more when you check references.
How do you conduct a reference check?
Most employers will ask candidates to provide a list of two or three professional references on their job application or attach a list to their resume or cover letter. After selecting a few final candidates for the job, the hiring manager will contact the references—usually over the phone—and conduct a brief interview incorporating their top reference check questions. At backgroundchecks.com, we can also carry out reference interviews on your behalf.
What is included in a reference check?
The specific reference check questions that hiring managers choose to ask about a candidate will vary depending on the position, the industry, the skills or experience needed to succeed in the role, and the identity of the reference. We offer a list of recommended questions to ask when checking references.
