Ever been asked to be a reference and felt unsure how to respond? You are not alone. Our latest roundtable podcast dives into how to be a reference, including when it is okay not to say yes.

In this candid discussion, our panel shares what really happens behind the scenes of reference checks. We address why accuracy matters, how honesty protects all parties, and what information you, as the reference, will want to have ready before the call. Think of today’s roundtable as a professional checklist:

• Know the basics like the dates you worked together,
• What role each of you held, and
• The scope of your colleague’s responsibilities.

These details not only help paint a credible picture but also prevent confusion or red flags for potential employers.

Just as important, it is perfectly fine to decline a reference request when you don’t feel comfortable or feel you can’t give a balanced perspective. As one guest noted, a simple “I don’t believe I can provide the best reference for you” can save everyone time and preserve relationships.

Our team also explores the fine line a reference walks between being supportive and being factual. A good reference isn’t about glowing praise or gossip. It is about giving fair, professional insight that helps both the candidate and employer find the right fit.

If you have ever hesitated before agreeing to be a reference or wondered what you are really signing up for if you say yes, this conversation is worth a listen.

Tune in to the full roundtable discussion to learn when to step forward, when to politely decline (and how), and what details truly make a reference valid and meaningful.

Listen to Secrets of a CRA Recruiter on Your Favorite Channel! 

Related Posts

• The Importance of Strong Professional References
• Roundtable: How to Ask Someone to be a Reference
• Are Backdoor Reference Checks Legal?
• Reference Check vs Background Check
• Roundtable: Candidate References – Top Mistakes

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One of my top recruiters just dealt with a situation where someone refused to provide professional references. 

And not in a nice way.  She was a 20-year vet who felt her time in the industry should speak for itself. But let me ask you this…without references, how can I verify the 20-year vet is competent in her role? After all, the number of years someone has functioned in the role doesn’t necessarily equate to how good they are at the role.

Meaning, that the only way we can verify competency is via references. And honestly, why would any prospective employer accept only the candidate’s word when it comes to proving skills and competency in the role? 

It still surprises me when candidates don’t understand the importance of being able to provide strong professional references. So I thought I would pick up my pen and provide some insight and support on the topic. 

When Should You be Prepared to Provide References?

Always.

Being prepared to provide references was once a formality that many candidates didn’t prioritize. And honestly, most hiring managers didn’t ask for them. I must admit that I didn’t always ask for references when hiring for my internal team (always for clients but never for me). Instead, I went with my gut…and while my decisions were usually pretty good, in hindsight, going with your gut doesn’t make sense when hiring a key team member. 

And I am not alone, According to available data, about 20% of employers don’t check references before hiring a new team member.

Eek.

But in today’s very competitive market, candidates have to be able to provide strong work references and employers need to check them. Some sources state that approximately 20% of candidates are rejected after a reference check.

But, I would state that we eliminate approximately 40 percent of our candidate pool at the reference stage. And this isn’t necessarily because the candidate’s references provided poor feedback…although that happens. The reference process is a process. It is a test. 

And the real test is this: Did the candidate follow directions? Many don’t.

Who should be considered a Professional Reference?

While many companies allow colleagues to be professional references, we don’t.  Professional references should be able to speak to your capabilities as a CRA, and while colleagues may have some insight as to how others respond to you and your work effort, the most important reference is someone who has provided supervision or work direction to you – or someone you have provided oversight to.  

As it relates to supervisor references, these don’t necessarily have to be direct supervisors but should be individuals who have provided some type of work direction to you. For example, they can be Clinical Leads, Clinical Project Managers, CRA Managers, etc. You should look for individuals who can speak to the way you handle workplace challenges, your track record of meeting timelines, and your ability to provide high-quality deliverables. 

Additionally, our firm also asks for CRAs to provide site references. The sites where CRAs monitor are well positioned to provide feedback regarding the CRA’s industry knowledge and competency, responsiveness, and work ethic. 

How Do You Identify Quality References?

When selecting references, speak to individuals you would like to serve in this role before providing their information to a potential employer.  You have no idea how often we have references tell us no. Seriously: “She should have asked me to serve as a reference, I don’t feel comfortable providing feedback.”

Don’t let that be you. Never assume someone will be your reference. Always ask.

You will want to openly discuss their view of your competency, work performance, and ability to build effective rapport with team members. Speaking with a future reference can be a great way to gain professional insight and will also enable you to decide whether to actually put them forward as a reference.

But Don’t Wait Until You Need Them

It is your responsibility to cultivate relationships worthy of a good reference. Your references will provide a glimpse into your personality and work ethic. So be picky. Here is a list of the do’s and don’ts when it comes to providing  strong work references:

Here are your “Do’s”

• Follow the instructions given by the hiring team. Be sure to provide complete, correct, and accurate information in the format requested. 
• Pick references who are well-spoken. Practice typical reference questions with them if you want to be thorough.
• Discuss the job opportunity details with your references so they know what strengths should be highlighted. Oh, and discuss your weaknesses. Especially those that need to be minimized. For example, if the assignment is to re-monitor or rescue an oncology project, ensure your reference(s) are aware of the scope. This will enable them to speak to your oncology expertise as well as your experience rescuing projects.
• Be sure to pick a reference you have a positive professional relationship with and who you are absolutely sure will speak highly of you.
• Remember to ask permission to use someone as a reference, confirming that they will respond to the hiring team when someone reaches out to them. We often see references decline to provide a reference because they were never asked by the candidate. And yes, this does negatively impact the CRA’s candidacy.
• Keep your references as current as possible. A couple of years ago I had a gal provide a supervisor reference from 1998.  Jeepers, I was a bartender in 1998…anyone who would recommend me from that long ago would be recommending a ‘different me.’  We require our candidates to provide references from their most recently completed project so that we have current and up-to-date information on the candidate.
• Provide references quickly once requested as a delay may harm your candidacy.

Here are your “Don’ts”

• Never pick a family member, girlfriend/boyfriend, or anyone who has either a) not witnessed your work performance or b) doesn’t fall into the categories/roles provided by the hiring team.
• Don’t pick an employer or coworker with whom the relationship ended badly. This happens more frequently than you think. I just recently took a reference from a supervisor who simply stated: “I don’t know why she is using me as a reference because I fired her for non-performance.” 
• And never ask someone to falsify a reference for you. If you (and the fake reference) are found out, your reputation will be irreparably damaged.

In Closing

Ideally, a reference will be someone who has an impressive position or reputation. For example, selecting the Director of Monitoring as a reference will be more impressive than using the Lead CRA – as long as the Director can speak to your performance. While this is not a requirement, it is a great way to expand and legitimize your professional network. 

And make sure to take advantage of your professional references! They are great resources for advice as well as potential mentorships. Having good references is among the strongest recruiting tips we can offer CRA candidates because of the insight that they offer.

Gathering professional references and maintaining those relationships can seem like a lot of effort, but the payoff is tenfold. You are surely a great CRA with a stellar track record, so why not boost your brand by providing potential employers with other reputable sources who can echo your experiences and provide testimony to your outstanding performance? These details go a long way towards standing out from the candidate crowd and securing that perfect position with ease.

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Many candidates find it extremely difficult to ask someone to be a reference. I find one of the primary reasons is that the candidate doesn’t want to bother past supervisors. After all, providing a reference can be time-consuming. 

As a supervisor myself, I can honestly say it would never be a burden for me to serve as a reference for one of my top performers. So is the worry of bothering a past supervisor a valid concern?

There are many other reasons candidates are anxious when it comes to asking someone to serve as a reference. Perhaps they haven’t kept up with their past supervisors, and therefore aren’t sure how to find their contact information. Additionally, in many cases, candidates may be worried the reference would simply decline, not being willing to speak on their behalf. 

And the biggest fear…what will they say?

I recently presented a webinar where one of the attendees asked if it was appropriate to include her references on her resume. 

No. No, it isn’t. 

And what about those candidates who provide references without first asking their permission? Eek…that isn’t a smart approach either. 

So what is the best practice when it comes to asking someone to serve as your reference? This week’s roundtable provides advice on how to nurture your network so you always have references available. We also give tips on how to ask someone to be a reference, as well as how to prepare your reference in a way that makes you feel confident in what they will say about you. 

Listen to Secrets of a CRA Recruiter on Your Favorite Channel! 

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What is a Backdoor Reference Check? 

Backdoor reference checks are also known as backchannel, informal, quiet, or deep reference checks. In contrast to a traditional reference check, backdoor checks are conducted without the candidate’s permission. 

Why are backdoor reference checks performed?

Clients often tell me they don’t feel traditional reference checks will yield an honest result. The theory is that candidates only select references who are more likely to provide positive feedback. I understand the theory, although I disagree with it (you can see why here). 

But for today’s discussion, understand that many recruiters and hiring managers leverage their personal network to conduct a backchannel check on potential candidates. These recruiters and hiring managers have a misguided hope that this methodology will obtain a truer and more honest insight into the candidate’s performance.  

To be fair, I like to look at more than one data point when I am considering a candidate. Hiring decisions are often made by analyzing data from multiple sources such as interview results, assessment scores, traditional references, background checks, and gut instinct. But what I also find is that when a hiring manager makes an inquiry with a trusted person from within their network, negative feedback will almost always trump all of the other data. 

So while the concept of conducting backdoor checks is good, there are significant risks in going outside of the traditional candidate assessment process.

What are the risks of conducting backdoor reference checks?

The process of allowing the candidate to provide references is important. It will show you if the candidate can follow directions. You will also be able to see if he or she can self-assess enough to provide references who will give a positive referral. 

From my perspective, having employees who can follow directions and self-assess is a must. But if you are sneaky and obtain feedback from folks within your own network, you aren’t giving the candidate a chance to prove they have these skills.  

Additionally, information obtained from a backdoor reference may not be credible. Perhaps the referral isn’t in a role to provide suitable feedback. Or maybe your contact didn’t work with the candidate in a relevant capacity. Alternatively, perhaps your trusted contact competed with the candidate for a promotion and now has a biased view based on personal experience.

You should also consider that it is possible the candidate hasn’t told his current company that he is looking elsewhere. In this case, conducting these sneaky reference checks could put the candidate’s current job at risk. At a minimum, you could damage the trust between you and the candidate or between the candidate and his current employer.  

Are Backdoor Reference Checks Legal?

Yes…contacting folks within your network to conduct a backdoor reference check is legal. Have I done it? Yes…but only under extenuating circumstances.  

Two weeks ago we were conducting a traditional reference check on a candidate who had barely passed our qualification process. Her digital footprint was sparse and her references were highly suspicious. None of the references she provided had a corroborating digital footprint and the contact information she provided for each consisted of an unlisted mobile number and Gmail account instead of a verifiable company number and email address. 

This candidate had listed one of our clients as a recent employer (I am sure she didn’t know the company was a client). What was odd to me is that she hadn’t provided the monitoring manager we work with as a reference. Instead, she provided a reference that we didn’t know, representing him as the Clinical Trial Manager. On a whim, I reached out to my contact. 

He confirmed that neither she (the candidate) nor he (the supervisor ‘reference’) had ever worked with that company. Was I wrong in conducting this sneaky check? I don’t think so…and here is why. 

I was careful what I asked.

Regardless of whether the reference check is a traditional consented or backdoor non-consented check, there are rules regarding the questions you can ask and the information you can receive. If you are going to conduct a quiet check, I would keep it limited to what the government typically allows for employment verifications. 

• Dates of employment
• Title (including job classification such as contract/perm)
• Salary/Compensation
• Reason for leaving
• Eligibility for rehire

Do not discuss anything of a personal nature. You do not want to get into a discussion that becomes saturated with gossip or opinion because this can leave you and your referee open to being accused of defamation and slander. 

You will also want to avoid questions that could lead to discrimination. And importantly, avoid contacting the candidate’s current employer without their permission. 

If you are the backdoor referee…be very careful how you answer.

If the candidate has given an employer permission to use you as a personal reference, you can go into details regarding the candidate’s job responsibilities, performance, goals, and integrity. But, if someone contacts you to conduct a quiet check, be careful what you disclose. 

Never answer questions that reveal personal information. Even if asked about the skills of the employee or their behavior at work, refrain from answering. I would recommend you stick to providing objective answers. meaning that you only reveal facts. For example, you can verify if the person actually worked with the company. You can also disclose your employment relationship with the candidate as well as their title. 

But never discuss subjective topics. When you offer your perspective based on your opinion, you run the risk of misrepresenting the candidate. The candidate could accuse you of defamation or invasion of privacy…and things can get very ugly very quickly. 

Other Things To Consider

If you do conduct a quiet check, keep this in mind: While you may have an extremely positive and respectful relationship with the referee, you do not have a clear understanding of that referee’s relationship with the candidate. Not knowing the context of the working relationship means you aren’t seeing the full picture. 

This means that if the feedback is positive, it is only another data point. Alternatively, if the input is negative, it is also just another data point. Don’t let this single point of feedback trump all the other data gathered from your extensive qualification sources such as interview results, assessment scores, traditional references, employment verifications, and gut instinct. 

Have Questions?

It can be difficult to keep yourself compliant when conducting reference checks. You don’t have to worry about asking the wrong questions…we are here to support you. Reach out with questions any time.

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While many companies assess whether they should conduct a reference check vs background check, I recommend that you do both. 

Why? 

Let’s discuss the differences between the two and why conducting both is important when identifying your next team member.  

Reference Check vs Background Check: What are the differences?

The main distinction lies in the type of information each provides: background checks confirm employment and credentials, while reference checks reveal how well a candidate performed in their role.

Reference Checks

I often hear hiring managers state that they don’t check references. When I ask why, the explanation is usually that they expect candidates to always provide references that are glowing…so why waste time?

You can assess whether they can self-assess.

For these hiring managers, I would state: According to our numbers, about 25% of references give negative feedback, including supervisors who have fired, managed out, or placed candidates on performance plans.

This highlights a crucial skill that the candidate may be missing: self-assessment. Candidates who offer references likely to provide poor feedback demonstrate a lack of self-awareness, making reference checks a valuable filter. If a candidate provides one or more references who give poor feedback or refuse to participate, it’s a red flag for self-awareness and judgment.

Reference Checks Assess Cultural Fit.

Roughly 20% of candidates receive references that are mostly positive but include constructive feedback. I love it when this happens because this type of feedback helps us determine the candidate’s best fit. It clarifies whether a candidate thrives with hands-on management, in collaborative teams, or in structured versus startup environments. These conversations go beyond confirming qualifications; they help you determine if the candidate will excel in your specific environment.

You can assess their ability to follow directions.

Let’s face the fact that the ability to follow directions is a skill many people just don’t possess. I am aware of many companies that conduct a formal assessment to evaluate whether their candidates can accurately comprehend and execute instructions.  And while I appreciate the value of this type of assessment, why not weed out candidates who struggle with following directions throughout your qualification process?  

Reference checks can also test a candidate’s ability to follow instructions. Despite clear guidelines on the type of references and contact information required, many candidates fail to comply, which itself is telling. Specify the roles and recency of the references you want, and always collect both email and phone contacts. Verify the reference’s relationship to the candidate and be alert for falsified references. Use open-ended questions in live conversations to uncover both technical and soft skills.

When you request references, make sure you define the process and then assess if the candidate is able and/or willing to follow it.  Some things to consider:  

Define the roles you expect the references to have. 

All candidates should be prepared to submit references who have provided them with work direction. I once had a consultant who told me he didn’t have supervisor references because he was a contractor! Everyone has someone to report to. Even the business owner is accountable to someone. When assessing the validity of a supervisor reference, look for someone who can speak to the candidate’s ability to meet deadlines, submit quality deliverables, meet or exceed competency requirements, and build an effective rapport with team members. 

And while obtaining supervisor references is important, also consider what other roles may provide a well-rounded view of the candidate’s skills or qualities. If the candidate is in a supervisory role, consider asking for direct reports. If the candidate is a CRA, ask for site references. You want to see how well the candidate takes direction as well as provides support or work direction to others. 

Be clear regarding how recent the working relationship should be. 

We also recommend that references be fairly recent. We require all of our CRA candidates to provide at least one supervisor and one site reference from a recently completed assignment or project. While it may be understandable for a candidate to abstain from providing references from their current position, when a candidate fails to provide references from their last couple of positions, consider this a flag. 

Outline the contact information you require for each reference. 

We ask our candidates to provide an email and a phone number for each reference. We request both because it doubles the chances of connecting with the references. And this obviously benefits the candidate. But often, the candidates refrain from providing appropriate contact information for their references.  

Besides contact information, ask for details of the working relationship. For example, what was the title of the reference? What company was associated with the working relationship? What were the dates the reference and candidate worked together? This information can help you evaluate the reference’s validity up front, as well as corroborate the story between both sources afterward.

One more thing to consider.

References can be easily falsified, so conduct due diligence on each reference. We often see candidates represent someone as a clinical trial manager who isn’t. I have even spoken with references who have come clean that they are really a wife or sister. You should also know that business email addresses can be spoofed, so don’t assume that just because a work email was used that the reference is valid.  

Create a reference template with open-ended questions that will cover both competency-based skills and soft skills. And while I realize that emailing the reference questionnaire to the references will save you time, don’t do it. This approach will expose you and your team to mediocre or even fraudulent responses. Use your reference template to guide you as you speak to each supervisor reference. Verify the individual’s title, the company associated with the working relationship, and the dates the reference and candidate worked together. You will be amazed at the insights you will gain by being thorough with your reference checks. 

Background Checks

Background checks focus on objective data. When considering the ‘reference check vs background check’ question, understand that while references are more related to a candidate’s past job performance, background checks look up a person’s actual records.

The most commonly checked areas are criminal history, employment verification, confirmation of stated education, and credit history. However, some companies may also conduct drug testing, pull the candidate’s driving record, confirm professional licenses, and even scrape the candidate’s social media profiles. And in our industry, we run a Healthcare Sanction check to ensure there have been no industry-based regulatory violations or related civil or criminal offenses. 

A couple of things that we recommend when ordering a background check: 

An employment history check may not be needed. 

Before you pay a third-party vendor to confirm the candidate’s employment, check a couple of things. First, confirm the candidate’s resume matches their LinkedIn profile. And if you have older versions of the candidate’s resume, compare the data. We often see where candidates will change their employment…not just the dates, but sometimes their entire employment. Just this morning, we had a candidate who, only two months ago, stated she had worked as a coordinator at Houston Methodist, but today’s resume stated she worked at Johns Hopkins instead. 

Additionally, understand that a company listed on the candidate’s resume may not be real. And for authentic companies, be mindful of the dates of operations for all companies listed on the candidate’s resume. Fraudulent candidates will represent that they worked for a company before or after the company existed. There is no need to pay a third-party vendor to verify employment if you can easily tell that the dates of employment do not align with when the companies were founded, acquired, or went out of business. 

Also, keep in mind that employment verification for consultants can be tricky. Often, the only way to confirm past contracts and assignments is via a reference check because HR departments don’t typically track consultant engagements. 

When you do move forward with an employment history check, keep in mind that companies are limited in what information they can provide. A typical employment verification will usually yield the candidate’s true title and dates of employment, but may not offer other details. Regardless of what data you receive, always compare the results with the information the candidate has presented.  

When verifying the candidate’s stated education…

…understand that third-party vendors aren’t always going to be able to identify if a degree is real. Diploma mills have been big business for years, with several sources citing hundreds of fake universities currently in operation. At one point, the issue was so rampant that the FBI became involved with one particular agent co-authoring a book titled Degree Mills: The Billion-Dollar Industry That Has Sold Over a Million Fake Diplomas. The 2012 release of this title provides recommendations on how to protect yourself. 

We dig into some of these suggestions in an article because it is important to be aware of the more common tactics to protect yourself. 

One more thing to note: 

If a background check uncovers issues with credit, driving, or criminal records, don’t automatically disqualify the candidate, especially if they disclosed these issues upfront.

Reference Check vs Background Check…In Closing

There is no simple path. Finding the right team member requires thoughtfulness because doing it the right way is important. While we recommend you engage a third-party partner to help with some of these steps, your involvement throughout the process will help ensure a terrific match.

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It is rare for a company to not check candidate references before moving into a final offer. In some instances, recruitment companies may not even reveal their openings without the successful completion of references.

In an effort to help candidates be successful, our team got together to discuss the top mistakes we see folks make when going through the candidate references process. This podcast will discuss the following along with many other tips.

Blindsiding Past Colleagues or Employers

Years ago, it used to be standard to provide a list of references on your resume. As a past manager, receiving random calls about previous team members was normal.  But that is no longer the case. Some companies have strict policies against providing personal or professional references. And some folks just don’t want to be a reference…no matter how awesome you are.

Assuming Your Reference Will Speak Highly of You

I was contacting candidate references one day and one particular CRA’s past supervisor was in complete shock that I had called her. She couldn’t believe she had been used as a reference because she had actually fired the candidate! Now this may be extreme for your circumstances, but don’t assume your references will have all great things to say about you.

Not Following Instructions

From providing the wrong people as references to not providing proper contact information for those references, following instructions is paramount to the successful completion of the candidate references step. Know this, your ability to navigate the process of properly providing references is as important as what the references say about you.

Our Latest Podcast is all about Candidate References

A failed reference check can negatively impact the hiring process…even after you are hired. A poor or missing reference is a huge reason why folks miss out on opportunities so let us help you gracefully navigate the process.

Listen to Secrets of a CRA Recruiter on:

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Is the CRA Reference Check a Waste of Time?

As a hiring manager – do you conduct CRA reference checks?  How about you Job Seekers out there…are you taking the reference check step as seriously as you should? Our experience is that most CRA candidates don’t take it seriously enough.

This past newsletter was all about references. With the goal of streamlining the process while ensuring it’s effectiveness, we spend a few minutes busting myths and sharing common errors (as well as share a story or two). We hope you enjoy!

This month’s blog posts on references:

• How to Recover from Getting Fired
• For the Hiring Manager: 7 Big Mistakes in Employee Reference Checking
• For the CRAs: The Importance of Strong Professional References

Oh, and just for fun…here are some funny stories from hiring managers conducting reference checks!

Listen to Secrets of a CRA Recruiter on:

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“Would you like to see the results of this candidate’s reference check?” I asked.  “We don’t do reference checks”, she said. 

I was floored… 

I had been speaking with the Director of Clinical Operations for a mid-sized Sponsor who had been struggling with extremely high attrition rates.  Wanting to analyze their hiring process, the company had engaged me to help understand the root cause of their attrition. 

So I asked: Don’t you believe conducting candidate reference checks will give you an idea of the ‘real’ person you are hiring? Or at a minimum, confirm the insights you have already gleaned from the hiring process up to that point?

Busting Reference Check Myths

Like many of our clients, she believed the references provided by the candidate would always be glowing, therefore candidate reference checks were a waste of time. However, in a properly structured reference check process, you will find this is not the case.  

According to a recent Robert Half survey, US based Senior Managers reported eliminating roughly 34% of job candidates from consideration due to the candidate reference check.   We see similar statistics so can confidently state that conducting reference checks is a critically important step in your hiring process when done correctly. The key to success is in the reference check process itself. Here are some common mistakes we see many companies make when it comes to candidate reference checking.  

Mistake 1: Not Conducting the Reference Check 

As important as the reference results, the way the candidate executes the reference check process is a key indicator to the quality and character of the candidate. If you don’t conduct reference checks, you may miss out on important insights such as:

• Did the candidate return the references?  We often see where candidates are unable or unwilling to round up references…and while a single instance of not returning references may not be a flag, a trend might be. 
• How long did it take for the candidate to return references? While you want to consider delays in the whole scheme of the hiring process, do consider that a delay in returning references may indicate an underlying issue.
• Did the candidate provide the bare minimum or less than requested? We ask for 2-3 recent supervisors and 2-3 recent site references, but often we only receive one of each. There seems to be a bit of rebellion in this act; especially if the candidate doesn’t explain why they aren’t complying with our request. This behavior could give you insight to how they will handle your or the sites’ requests in the future.    
• Alternatively, did the candidate go over the top in providing references?  I haven’t seen it often, but have seen where a candidate will return many more references than requested. Depending on how ‘over the top’ the candidate is, this may be a flag as perfectionism or the desire to overcompensate could point to an underlying blocker for the candidate. And this behavior could translate to the candidate going over the top in the role. And I should note that while many feel perfectionism or overcompensation isn’t a bad thing, my experience is that perfectionists take longer to perform tasks and this translates into billable hours which will impact your budget. Ultimately, the real flag is whether all of the references actually respond.  Which brings me to the next point…
• Doesn’t it raise a flag to you if a candidate lists 3 references and none of these individuals return your emails and phone calls?  Or 6 references and only one responds? 
• Or alternatively, if the references provided give bad reviews, not only does the candidate need a reality check on how good they are at their job, but they are also seriously lacking the ability to self-assess. 

Who better to tell you about that candidate than people who have worked with them in the past?  Reference checks can be extremely powerful if conducted correctly. But be sure to only accept relevant references.  

Mistake 2: Accepting the Wrong Reference Types

About a year ago, I was interviewing a back-office candidate and really liked her. We discussed a potential start date and I told her about our reference check process.  I asked her to provide three supervisors total and explained that I wanted at least one supervisor from each of her last two positions. She confirmed understanding and told me providing references would be no problem. 

When she turned her references in, however, she skipped her most recent supervisor with a simple statement of “I can’t provide a reference from this employer…but don’t worry, it isn’t a bad thing.”

Hmmm…

Part of an effective reference check process is to evaluate whether the candidate can follow instructions. Not only did this candidate fail in this regard, but she didn’t offer a reasonable explanation as to why she was deviating from my request.  In other words, had she just explained why she couldn’t provide the requested reference, I may have been okay to move forward with her candidacy. As it turned out, I rejected her candidacy as her references weren’t what I asked for.  

When you are defining your reference check process, be clear as to the type of references you require. You will want to define the ideal references’ roles as well as how long ago the individual worked with the candidate. 

• Use a form for the candidate to complete. Ask for at least one email address, one phone number, the name of the company where the reference and candidate worked together, and the dates they worked together.  Having this information is extremely important when it comes to contacting the reference as well as during the fraud detection step.  
• The most enlightening candidate references will come from recent supervisors.  If the candidate is a consultant they may not have a direct supervisor on the project.  In this case, ask the candidate to supply references from individuals who provided any type of work direction to them. Be sure to clearly state that you want those references from their most recently completed project. 
• If you are considering someone who will be in a leadership or management role, ask for two or three recent direct reports in addition to the supervisor references. Along those lines, when vetting Clinical Research Associates, ask for site references as those individuals are well positioned to discuss the CRA’s responsiveness and knowledge at the site level.  

We recommend you reject references from colleagues, friends, spouses, aunts, mothers, pastors, and other non-professional connections. Personal ‘character’ references such as these are not likely to provide a clear picture of that candidate’s previous work performance.  

Mistake 3: Delegating the Reference Check Process to a Third Party

You know your company. You know your needs. And hopefully, you know the desired characteristics of the ideal candidate.  Therefore, make sure the individuals conducting your reference checks have the same knowledge. Translation: do not outsource your reference check process to an unaffiliated third party resource. 

I receive several reference requests a week from third party companies. They are always via email and the questions are simple and benign such as asking if I feel the candidate is honest and how I would rate their communication skills.

These are two very important questions…but enabling an unaffiliated third party organization to ask these questions via email will not result in the detail you need to make an effective hiring decision.  

• Make sure you or someone from your hiring team conducts the references.
• Use a standard template with open ended questions to interview each reference verbally.
• Train the individual(s) taking the references on when and how to dig, when and how to use the ‘awkward silence’ to solicit more detail, and how to keep questions open in order to solicit more information. 
• Additionally, train the individual taking the references on what is illegal to ask. 

We can help with these training sessions! 

Mistake 4: Not Conducting Fraud Detection on the References Provided

You hear us often talk about fraudulence, and while we certainly conduct a digital footprint analysis and fraud detection on all of our candidates, we do the same on the references provided.  

While there are obvious black/white situations that point to fraud, there are also a lot of gray areas to consider which may point to a bigger problem.  

• Are the emails provided personal or work emails? An occasional personal email may not be concerning, but when all of the provided references have personal accounts, that should be considered a flag.
• When you conduct a Google search or Reverse Phone Number look-up on the telephone numbers provided, does the resulting information align with the information given by the candidate? 
• Are you able to find a digital footprint on the references? 
• If a digital footprint does exist, does that digital footprint align with what the information provided by the candidate?  Meaning, is it clear they worked together in the roles stated, during the dates stated?
• When you speak to the references, do they confirm all that you have been told by the candidate or learned from your digital footprint analysis?

Rather than asking colleagues, friends or family members to provide false references, there are also companies that will provide references for a fee.  A good example of this is a company called Paladin Deception Services which provides verifiable yet fictitious job references. I don’t want to link to this company from here, but a quick Google search will show how rampant this practice is.

When assessing the validity of candidate references, you want to look at the entire picture. We recently had an individual provide a site reference that had zero digital footprint. The email address was a personal email and when we searched the telephone number provided, it was actually for another individual (same first name, different last). We did find a digital footprint for that name…it was the candidate’s sister (yep).

Mistake 5: Not Leveraging the Candidate’s Qualification Responses

Make sure you review the behavior pattern as well as the responses to the candidate’s interview or assessment prior to your discussion with his or her references.  

For example, we always ask our candidates why they left their last several assignments.  We then ask the same question of their references to confirm the reasons align.  

If the candidate has been slow to return information (such as references), ask the reference if the candidate had to be chased for deliverables. If the candidate either missed or has been late to interviews, ask about the candidate’s punctuality and attendance. 

Mistake 6: Not Asking Detailed Questions of the Candidate’s References 

Avoid only asking generic questions about a candidate. Dig deep to discover their work ethic, how they build relationships, their key accomplishments, their strengths and weaknesses. For example, how did the candidate handle conflict? What operational processes did the candidate implement or improve? What were the endpoints of that extremely complicated project they stated they worked on? What were the candidate’s metrics in terms of meeting deadlines? How would you describe the quality of the candidate’s deliverables? 

Then ask follow-up questions. If a reference describes the candidate as an excellent team member, ask what she did in particular that made her excel as a team player. If at any point during the candidate reference check call, a reference states something that doesn’t align with the candidate’s resume or what the candidate has stated during the qualification process, be wary. Be sure to clarify with the reference to ensure you haven’t misunderstood, and if there are no other flags with the candidate’s credentials, you may also want to give the candidate a chance to explain. 

Mistake 7: Not Appropriately Using the Reference Information 

References are invaluable to predict how a candidate will perform in their future position; however, make sure you are considering the references received as only one part of the overall qualification process.  Immediately accepting someone because their references are glowing may be a mistake as honest references share both strengths and weaknesses. Alternatively, immediately rejecting someone because of a single bad reference may also be a mistake as the candidate may have other more important qualities which align to your needs. 

If you need assistance in your reference checking process, let us know and we will be glad to help!

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