Reference Check Form Template: Free Questions and Call Script

Who should you call for a reference check?

Call people who saw the candidate do the work. A former direct manager is the most useful reference, followed by a senior peer or someone the candidate managed. Two or three calls are usually enough for most roles.

Always get the candidate’s permission before you contact anyone, and never call a current employer without explicit consent. If a candidate can only offer friends or very old colleagues, ask why and whether there is anyone from a recent role you could speak with. Check that the reference really held the title they gave by looking at a public profile or the company switchboard.

What questions are you allowed to ask a reference?

Keep every question about the candidate’s work: what they did, how well, and how they worked with others. The EEOC says pre hire questions should generally be limited to what you need to judge whether someone is qualified, and employers may not ask about disability before an offer. Hold your reference questions to the same standard.

Do not ask about health, family, age, religion, national origin or anything that could reveal a protected trait. Some places, such as New York State, also bar employers from asking a former employer about a candidate’s salary history. Rules vary by state and country and change over time, so check what applies to you. This is not legal advice.

How do you get honest answers from a reference?

Ask for examples, not opinions. “What were their strengths?” gets a polite list. “Tell me about a time they handled a tight deadline” gets a story you can test. Follow up with “What was their part?” and “What happened next?” just as you would in an interview.

Listen for what is missing as well as what is said. Faint praise, long pauses, or a reference who only confirms dates can be a signal, but some companies only allow staff to confirm dates and titles, so do not read too much into it. Compare what you hear with your interview scorecards and treat a single odd comment as a question to explore, not a verdict.

Tell the reference how long the call will take and stick to it. Fifteen minutes is enough for the questions on this form. People give better answers when they are not rushing to another meeting, so offer to call back at a better time rather than pressing on.

When do reference checks need extra steps?

If a third party company runs reference or background checks for you, federal consumer reporting rules may apply. The FTC says employers must get written permission from the applicant before getting a consumer report, and there are extra notice duties for reports based on personal interviews about someone’s character. Speak to your provider and legal team about the forms you need.

Keep reference notes with the candidate record, store them securely, and share them only with the people making the decision. If a reference raises a serious concern, talk to the candidate before you act on it so they can respond.

How do you use reference results in the hiring decision?

References should confirm or challenge what you already know, not decide the hire on their own.

If two references describe the same strength or the same concern in their own words, give that more weight than a single comment. Patterns across calls are more reliable than any one opinion.

1. Complete the form during or straight after each call.
2. Write a short summary of themes and differences from interview feedback.
3. Share the summary, not raw notes, with the hiring manager.
4. Follow up on any concern with the candidate or another reference.
5. Record the final outcome and file the forms in your ATS.