The typical executive reference check goes like this: the candidate provides three names, you call them, they say the candidate is great, you're satisfied. This process verifies that the candidate has three contacts who will say positive things about them. It verifies nothing else.
The Four Principles of an Effective Reference Check
- Talk to people the candidate didn't give you. Ask references to suggest additional people, especially former direct reports and peers.
- Ask behavioral questions, not opinion questions. "Tell me about a time when they struggled with something" is useful. "Would you recommend them?" is not.
- Listen to what people don't say as much as what they do. Hesitation, qualification, and subject changes are data.
- Check references before you're committed. Do it while you still have the ability to walk away without disruption.
The Best Reference Check Questions for Executive Roles
- "What were this person's greatest strengths in the role? And what were one or two areas where they had room to grow?"
- "How did they handle a significant setback or failure? Can you give me an example?"
- "How would the people who worked for them describe their leadership style?"
- "Is there anything about their management approach that didn't work well in your organization?"
- "Would you hire this person again, and in what kind of role would they be most successful?"
- "Who else should I talk to, specifically people who saw them at their best and their worst?"
The Back-Channel Reference: The Most Valuable (And Least Common)
The most valuable reference information doesn't come from the candidate's list. It comes from back-channel conversations with people you identify independently. This might be a mutual connection, someone from the candidate's past employer you know through your network, or a referral from one of the given references. Back-channel references have no obligation to be polished and tend to be far more candid.
Red Flags in Reference Conversations
- Answers that are all positive with no nuance ("He was just great at everything")
- Reluctance to answer specific behavioral questions
- Unexplained changes of subject
- A reference who seems to have limited actual interaction with the candidate
- Significant differences in how different references describe the same person or same period
We complete reference checks on every finalist before presenting them to clients, not after you've decided you want to hire. This is a core part of our assessment process.
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