Let’s be honest: chances are most references aren’t going to say anything negative about the candidate. If that’s all you’re looking for you’ll potentially miss out on some valuable “unwitting testimony.”
It doesn’t matter if you’re looking to hire engineers (or non-engineers) for startups (or for larger firms) so long as you aim to gain fairly illuminatory—or in the very least refreshing—feedback.
Coming up with a structured framework for reference engagement is the best way to achieve this objective.
Once on the call, fact checking is something you'll want to get out of the way quickly. There’s no need to cover this in great detail—just confirm their role, experience, dates, and some of the individual accomplishments they listed. It’s also a no-brainer to describe the role you have to see if their reference feels they can not only do it, but also enjoy excelling in the position. Yet rather than exploring some of these more common approaches, we are going to look at three broad categories—two that need to be revamped and one which is almost never mentioned.
For more insight, please see “Reference Calls: Who to Contact and What to Ask” from our Recruiter Academy.
If you still feel that reference checking is one of the best ways to screen candidates, here are some straightforward retakes on starting points:
Behavioral
This one is hotly debated. Some seasoned recruiters will argue that it’s best to drop behavioral questions for both the references and the candidate. The concern is that these questions can be faked or that they really don’t speak to underperformance issues. While this has some truth with respect to interviewing candidates, these questions are still fruitful tools when contacting a reference.
- Ask the reference to recall a time when they gave the candidate critical feedback. How did the candidate respond?
- Flip this question and ask how often the candidate provided their own critical feedback to others. Was it communicated clearly and in a civil manner? Were they trying to get things to change for the better?
- Inquire about the candidates’ leadership skills. Try to get a anecdote from a time when they took initiative when no one asked them to (make sure you get a detailed picture of the outcome).
- Make sure you get some inkling of how they respond to failure—on the leadership front or in everyday situations.
Cultural
This can be hard to figure out, particularly if your company culture is different that the candidates’ last few job experiences. Still, it’s important to measure some semblance of cultural fit so you have a clearer picture of how they’ll perform as a member of your team.
- Ask the reference about their management style. How does this fit within the larger company culture, and how did the candidate respond to this approach?
- See if you can get some insights into the roles the candidate inhabited within the team during their tenure.
- Ask the reference to be open about the candidates’ communication skills across teams.
- Finally, ask about how the candidate contributed to the culture overall.
Problem-Solving
Of the three categories outlined here, problem-solving gets almost no time in the spotlight. This is rather bizarre considering this skill set is an integral necessity of daily life. Even if it’s not explicitly mentioned in a job description, it can never be undervalued. Think of problem-solving skills as a marriage of curiosity and imagination.
- Have the reference explain how the candidate demonstrated their problem-solving skills on all levels. Look for examples that range from daily tasks to unusual circumstances.
- Ask pertinent questions that reveal details about a candidates’ analytic and logic-based prowess. This can be something like What sort of actions did ________ perform when they were confronted with a time sensitive project where essential information was missing?
- Perhaps one of the most insightful bits of information you can acquire on this subject is How does the candidate frame their questions? What can you tell me about the nature of their inquiries?
- Lastly, see if the reference can provide any insights into how the candidate acquired knowledge during their time with the company. If the reference has even a small amount of detailed information to provide you, it’s a safe bet that the candidate unconsciously showcased some extraordinary conceptual artistry.
Unfortunately, reference calls can end up being a waste of time far too often. This is only a tentative outline to follow so you can get the most out of your recruiting process.
If anyone has any suggestions on how to learn more about candidates’ problem-solving skills—don’t hesitate to share.
