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The Best Employment Reference

Questions To Ask

Special Report From: EasySmallBusinessHR.com

In this ebook, I’d like to share with you what I think are some of

the best reference questions to ask:

1. Share with me a summary of the candidates’ job

responsibilities?

This question is important because you need to be able to compare

notes on what the candidate shared with you during your interview

with them. Basically, you want to verify that the work that the

candidate shared is accurate.

Before asking this next question, describe to the reference giver the

job that you are considering the candidate for, and then ask the

following question:

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2. Based on the job that I described, share with me why you

feel that the candidate may be an ideal candidate for the role?

The goal with this question is to obtain the supervisor’s perspective

on whether the candidate has the experience needed. When I ask

this question, I look for examples that support why the supervisor

may feel that the candidate is qualified for the role.

3. Describe the candidates working style as part of a team and

when working on their own?

This question helps you to assess how your candidate works with

others and whether they are able to work autonomously.

4. Describe 3 areas of the candidate’s work performance where

they consistently excelled? Are there any areas of growth or

improvement that have been discussed with the candidate?

This question is another twist on the “Strengths and Weaknesses”

question. Important information to know.

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5. Have there ever been any issues with performance or

attendance that have been addressed with the candidate?

This question allows you to find out whether there were any past

issues with the candidate as well as current issues that may not

impact the hiring decision, but that you should be aware of.

6. If you were in the position to re-hire this candidate, would

you? If no, please share why?

The response to this question allows you to get a good sense of

how the employee is valued. I’ve always asked this question and

have been surprised to get a “no, I would not re-ire them” after

getting positive answers to all of my other questions.

If someone does say that they wouldn’t rehire the person, always

ask why. I think that the answer is always very telling. I’ve heard

things like, “this job isn’t the best fit for their career interests”, or

“they were bored in this job”. You can then ask follow up

questions in order to get a sense of whether you are getting an

accurate reference.

This is my list of the best questions to ask based on what has been

helpful to me and other managers over the years to know about a

candidate before making a hiring decision.

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Consider this a core set of questions; there may be other questions

that you’ll need to ask based on the job or the applicant.

Always be sure that the questions asked help you to better assess

the applicant’s qualifications for a job.

Similar to interview questions; stay away from questions that are

personal in nature.

As always, thanks for reading.

Until then, thanks for your support!

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