How to Check References for Job Candidates

When you’re running a factory or warehouse, you likely have a long list of employees. From your full-time ones to your seasonal ones, there are a lot of people working at the business. Many factories and warehouses have a high turnover because the jobs are physically demanding, so it’s possible you may be hiring throughout the year. How do you know you have the right candidate for the job? One of the best ways is the conduct a reference check. This way, you can learn how the candidate has performed in the past and can decide whether they will be a good addition to the team. In this article, we show you how to check references for the candidates you’re interviewing.

Why reference checks are important

A reference check involves the potential new employer calling a previous employer of the candidate to ask about their performance. If the candidate doesn’t have any job experience, the reference can be a coach, teacher, or other figure of authority. Conducting reference checks is an important part of the hiring process because it gives your organization a chance to vet the candidate and learn more about them from people who know them.

Keep in mind that reference checks aren’t always useful. Sometimes, the previous employer may not provide the full picture of the candidate’s performance at the company, and this could be for various reasons. Revealing too much about a previous employee, especially if they had particularly poor performance, may have legal consequences – and many employers have clear boundaries and protocols around sharing this type of information.

While you may not get the full picture from a reference check, you may be able to read red or green flags, which can help you determine if the candidate is right for your factory or warehouse.

Best practices for conducting reference checks

Checking a reference is both an art and a science. You have to be able to ask the right questions to get the information you need. Be sure to follow these guidelines for checking references:

1.     Inform the candidates about your reference check policy. As part of the job posting, include details about your need to conduct reference checks. Ask for references on the resume so that you have them on hand should you decide to go ahead to the next step with the candidate. Let candidates know that you will be conducting reference checks and may verify information they provide to you in their resume or interview.

2.     Keep it professional. When speaking with the reference, stick to questions regarding the candidate’s skills, expertise, and performance at their previous job. When questions get too personal about the candidate, they may be considered discriminatory, which can cause legal issues.

3.     Verify the candidate’s resume and responses. When speaking with the reference, confirm the candidate’s dates of employment and roles to ensure they are correct. Then introduce some of the answers the candidate provided in their interview and ask the reference to discuss their take on them. For example, “Sam tells me his greatest strength is being highly organized. Would you agree with that based on his work at your company?” This will help you get more insight into the candidate.

4.     Ask the reference for further references. If you feel like you require more information before making a decision to hire the candidate, ask the reference if they think there is anyone else you should speak with.

Top reference check questions to ask

There are plenty of questions you can ask during a reference check. However, it’s likely the references only have a few minutes to speak with you. Before making the call, write down 3-5 key questions you want to ask in order or priority to help you stay on track. Here are a couple of good questions to ask during a reference check:



• Would you re-hire the candidate if given the chance?
• What was the candidate’s main responsibilities at work and how did they perform?
• What are their key strengths?
• What are their weaknesses?
• Were there any difficult situations with the candidate at work?
• Why is the candidate no longer working at your company?

Does the reference check seem fishy?

Remember, the reference check isn’t going to give you all the information you need to make a decision about hiring a candidate. However, it will point you in the right direction. Just be sure to be on the lookout for anything that seems like it may be a red flag. Here a couple of situations that can seem fishy during a reference check:

• The reference can’t or doesn’t want to answer a particular question. This may mean they are not the right reference or that they don’t want to share some negative information.

• There are inconsistencies between the reference’s answers and the candidate’s answers. It’s possible the reference made a mistake, but it’s also possible the candidate didn’t provide you with the right information.

• The reference is overly positive about the candidate. No one is perfect, and every candidate has weaknesses or aspects of their performance they could improve. If the reference doesn’t want to provide that information, there could be something more to the story.

• You’ve been given the wrong contact information. If you try to contact a reference and don’t have the right phone or email address, it’s possible the candidate doesn’t want you to contact them. This may be a major red flag.

Let Noble Human Resources Solutions help you with reference checks and more

Conducting reference checks for your factory and warehouse candidates can take a lot of time out of your busy day. However, it’s an important task that needs to get done every time you hire a candidate. At Noble Human Resources Solutions, we can take over the hiring process from end to end, including checking references, so you can focus on running your business. Just fill out the Employer Contact Form to tell us more about your hiring needs, and we’ll do the rest.