Reference Check Questions Generator
Enter the role and the claims you need checked. Get a 20-minute reference call: opening script, open questions with follow-ups, and the red flags to listen for.
Last reviewed October 25, 2026 by the Skillora hiring team
Verify the story before you call the references.
Skillora's AI interviews every candidate and asks follow-up questions on each claim. You start every reference call knowing exactly what to check.
- Follow-up questions on every claim
- Scored transcripts with evidence
- Runs 24/7, no scheduling
- Free to start. No credit card.
Free to start · No credit card required
Most reference check questions get the same answer: "They were great." That answer costs you a day of phone tag and tells you nothing. The fix is in the questions. Enter the role, who the referee is, and the claims you want checked, and the generator above writes the call for you: an opening script, open questions grouped by topic with a follow-up for each, a closing question, and the red flags to listen for.
Good questions ask for evidence. "Were they a strong performer?" invites a yes. "What were their two biggest results, and what was their part in each?" forces an example you can hold against the resume. The best reference checks also verify specific claims. If a candidate says they managed six people, ask the referee how big the team was. Never say the number first.
The work adds up. SHRM puts a manual reference check at 30 to 60 minutes or more of calls, spread over about three referees and three or four days. A fixed question set cuts that time and makes the three answers comparable. Below you will find 31 reference check questions by category, a copy-ready email to book the call, a reference check form, a 20-minute call plan, and the 7 topics US law keeps off the call.
31 reference check questions by category
Pick five or six core questions and ask them on every call. Each question comes with what a strong answer reveals.
Performance and results
Start here. These questions test the scope and results the resume claims.
What was [candidate] hired to do, and how did the role change while you worked together?
A strong answer reveals: Whether the scope the referee saw matches the scope on the resume.
What were their two or three biggest results, and what was their part in each?
A strong answer reveals: Individual contribution, separated from what the team delivered.
How did their performance compare with others in the same role?
A strong answer reveals: A ranked answer ("top three of twelve") is evidence. "Great" is not.
Tell me about a goal they missed. What happened next?
A strong answer reveals: How they own a setback. A referee who cannot name one may not have watched closely.
What did their last performance review name as strengths and gaps?
A strong answer reveals: A documented view, not one memory from the referee.
If you could have changed one thing about how they worked, what would it be?
A strong answer reveals: The real development area, phrased so the referee can answer without feeling disloyal.
Role-specific skills
Swap in the must-have skills from your job description.
Which skill did you rely on them for most?
A strong answer reveals: Their real strength in the eyes of someone who depended on it.
Walk me through a hard problem they solved. What did they do first?
A strong answer reveals: Their problem-solving approach, in order, with the details a bluff leaves out.
This role needs [skill]. How much of that did you see them do, and at what level?
A strong answer reveals: Direct evidence for the must-have skill, or the absence of it.
Where did they need the most support or training?
A strong answer reveals: The gap you will have to cover in the first 90 days.
How did their skills grow during the time you worked together?
A strong answer reveals: How fast they learn, which matters more than where they started.
Working style and collaboration
How the candidate works with other people, not just what they produce.
How did they handle a disagreement with you or a peer?
A strong answer reveals: Conflict style: do they argue the point, escalate, or go quiet?
Describe a time they had to deliver bad news. How did they do it?
A strong answer reveals: Candor under pressure, and whether problems surface early.
What kind of manager or team gets the best work from them?
A strong answer reveals: Fit with your team, in the referee's own words.
How did they work under a tight deadline?
A strong answer reveals: How they prioritize when everything cannot get done.
How did others on the team describe working with them?
A strong answer reveals: Reputation beyond one referee, which helps when the referee is a friend.
Management and leadership
For people leaders. Ask the former manager and, if you can, a former direct report.
How many people did they manage, and how did the team change under them?
A strong answer reveals: Verifies team size and shows whether people stayed, grew, or left.
Tell me about someone they hired or promoted. How did it turn out?
A strong answer reveals: Their judgment of talent, the skill a manager is hired for.
How did they handle someone on the team who was underperforming?
A strong answer reveals: Whether they address problems or wait for them to leave.
Tell me about a decision they made that the team disagreed with.
A strong answer reveals: How they hold authority and earn buy-in.
How would the people on their team describe them as a manager?
A strong answer reveals: The view from below, which candidates rarely volunteer.
Integrity and reliability
Ask these the same way to every referee. Differences between answers are the signal.
Tell me about a mistake they made that affected other people. What did they do?
A strong answer reveals: Ownership. Strong candidates fix it and say so. Weak ones explain it away.
How did they do on commitments and deadlines? Give me a recent example.
A strong answer reveals: Follow-through, backed by a specific case.
When did you need to check their work, and why?
A strong answer reveals: How much the referee trusted them to work alone.
How did they handle confidential information or client data?
A strong answer reveals: Judgment for roles with access to money, data, or customers.
What would surprise me about them after six months?
A strong answer reveals: Whatever the referee has not said yet, good or bad.
Leaving and rehire
Close with these. The rehire answer is the most honest minute of the call.
What led to them leaving the role?
A strong answer reveals: Whether the story matches the one the candidate told you.
If you had an opening for them today, how would you feel about rehiring them, and why?
A strong answer reveals: Hesitation, conditions, or "it depends" deserve a follow-up.
What role would you put them in if you could?
A strong answer reveals: Where the referee thinks they do their best work.
What advice would you give their next manager?
A strong answer reveals: How to onboard them. Referees often raise concerns here they avoided earlier.
Is there anything I should have asked but did not?
A strong answer reveals: An open door for the concern the referee was waiting to share.
Reference check template: email and form
Send the email to book the call. Fill in the form during it. Keep the form with the candidate record so the decision has a paper trail.
Email to request a reference call
Subject: Reference call for [Candidate name], [Role] at [Company] Hi [Referee name], [Candidate name] is a finalist for the [Role] role at [Company] and listed you as a reference. They told us you worked together at [Previous company], where you were their [manager / peer / client]. Could we speak for 20 minutes this week? I am free on [day, time] and [day, time]. You can also pick a slot here: [scheduling link]. What you share stays with the hiring team. I will ask about the work you saw and how [Candidate name] works, nothing else. Thank you, [Your name] [Title], [Company] [Phone]
Reference check form
REFERENCE CHECK FORM Candidate: ____________________ Role: ____________________ Date of call: __________ Checked by: ____________________ REFEREE Name and title: ____________________ Company: ____________________ Relationship: [ ] Manager [ ] Peer [ ] Direct report [ ] Client Dates worked together: __________ to __________ Identity verified by: [ ] LinkedIn [ ] Company main line [ ] Work email CONSENT Candidate authorized this reference check on: __________ CORE QUESTIONS (same for every referee) 1. Scope of the role and how it changed: ____________________ 2. Two or three biggest results and their part: ____________________ 3. Comparison with peers in the same role: ____________________ 4. A missed goal and what happened next: ____________________ 5. Main development area: ____________________ CLAIMS TO VERIFY Claim | Referee's account | [ ] Matches [ ] Partly [ ] Does not match Claim | Referee's account | [ ] Matches [ ] Partly [ ] Does not match LEAVING AND REHIRE Reason for leaving: ____________________ Rehire answer (write it word for word): ____________________ CONCERNS RAISED: ____________________ OVERALL [ ] Confirms the interview evidence [ ] Mixed: follow up before an offer [ ] Contradicts the interview evidence
How to run a 20-minute reference call
A reference call that runs long has no structure. This one has six steps and a clock.
Step 1 · Before the call
Get consent and verify the referee
Ask the candidate for written permission and two or three referees, one of them a former manager. Find each referee on LinkedIn or reach them through the company main line. A personal mobile number with no trail is worth a second look.
Step 2 · Minutes 0 to 2
Open with the script
Say who you are, the role, that the candidate asked you to call, that answers stay with the hiring team, and that the call takes 20 minutes. Referees relax when they know the rules.
Step 3 · Minutes 2 to 5
Confirm the working relationship
Dates, titles, and how closely they worked together. A referee who saw the candidate twice a quarter cannot speak to daily work, so weight the answers that way.
Step 4 · Minutes 5 to 15
Ask the core questions and the claims
Ask every referee the same core questions so the answers compare. Then verify the specific claims without stating the number first: ask "How big was the team?" rather than "Did they manage six people?"
Step 5 · Minutes 15 to 18
Rehire and the open door
Ask the rehire question, then stay quiet. Finish with "Is there anything I should have asked?" This is where concerns come out.
Step 6 · Minutes 18 to 20
Close and write it down
Thank them and repeat that the answers stay confidential. Write notes within the hour, with the rehire answer word for word. Memory turns a hesitant "probably" into a yes by the next morning.
7 reference check questions you cannot ask (US)
The rule is simple: if the question is not about job performance or conduct, leave it off the call. A referee's answer to an unlawful question can become evidence in a discrimination claim against your company.
Age or date of birth
Including graduation years asked to estimate age.
Health, disability, or medical leave
Also sick days, workers' compensation claims, and genetic information.
Pregnancy, family, or marital status
Plans for children, childcare, a spouse's job, or caregiving duties.
Religion, race, or national origin
Work authorization is checked through I-9, not through a referee.
Sexual orientation or gender identity
Protected under federal law since the Supreme Court's 2020 Bostock ruling.
Arrests and union activity
Arrests are not convictions. Union membership is protected.
Salary history
Banned in many states and cities, including California, New York, and Massachusetts. Ask about the work, not the pay.
This is general guidance, not legal advice. State and city laws vary, so check with your employment counsel.
Red flags in what referees say
Referees rarely say anything negative outright. They signal it. These are the signals, and what to ask next.
Praise with no examples
"Hard worker, great attitude" twice in a row means the referee has nothing specific, or is choosing not to share it. Ask for one example.
A pause before the rehire question
Silence, "it depends", or "for the right role" is a polite no. Ask what the right role would be.
Facts that do not match the resume
Different dates, a smaller team, a junior title, or a project the referee does not recognize. Check the gap with the candidate before deciding.
A story about leaving that differs
The candidate said they left for growth. The referee mentions a reorganization or a performance plan. Both can be true, so ask.
A referee who cannot describe the work
If a "manager" cannot name a single project, they were not the manager, or they were a friend. Ask the candidate for a different referee.
Everything is perfect
Nobody has zero development areas. A referee who finds none is coached, a friend, or not paying attention.
One red flag is a question, not a verdict. Take it back to the candidate, then decide.
Tools for the rest of the hiring decision
Interview Scorecard Template
A blank PDF, 6 role examples, and a generator for any role.
Interview Questions Generator
Role-specific questions with model answers and scoring notes.
Resume Red Flag Checker
The claims in a resume worth probing, with the question to ask.
Offer Letter Generator
A complete offer letter with compensation and start details.
Resume Parser and Screener
Rank up to 10 resumes against your job description, free.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
- What questions should I ask in a reference check?
- Ask open questions that force an example: the scope of the role, the two or three biggest results and the candidate's part in each, a missed goal, how they handled conflict, why they left, and whether the referee would rehire them. Ask every referee the same core questions so the answers compare, then verify the specific claims from the resume.
- How many references should I check?
- Two or three, and at least one should be a former manager. For people leaders, add a former direct report. More than three rarely changes the decision and slows the offer.
- What is a reference check template?
- A reference check template is a fixed set of questions and a form for recording answers, used on every reference call for a role. This page includes a copy-ready email to book the call and a reference check form with fields for consent, claims verified, and the rehire answer.
- Can I check references without the candidate's permission?
- Ask first. Calling a current employer without consent can expose a job search, and candidates remember it. If an outside firm runs the checks for you, the Fair Credit Reporting Act adds written disclosure and consent steps. Check with your counsel for your state.
- What if the referee only confirms dates and title?
- Many US companies only confirm dates and title as a policy, so treat it as neutral, not as a red flag. Ask whether that is company policy, thank them, and ask the candidate for a referee who can speak to the work, such as a former manager who has since left that company.
- Is this reference check questions generator free?
- Yes. You get three free runs a day with no signup. Enter your email to keep going with no daily limit. The question bank, email template, and reference check form on this page are free to copy.