Checking References

Confirm Your Impressions

Checking references is an important part of the hiring process – it is a source of information you can use to confirm your impression of the candidate.

We recommend checking 2-3 direct report references, including the current supervisor if possible, after the interview. Please note that you must have the candidate’s consent before contacting their external references. However, if the candidate is a current or former UBC employee, you are encouraged to contact the previous and / or current departments to obtain a reference. UBC is considered one employer and therefore departments are able to communicate to each other in regards to potential hires.

Use the same questioning techniques that you used in the interview and cover the same general topics.

Verify what the candidate said in terms of title, length of service, responsibilities, salary and accomplishments.

Press for a “yes” or “no” answer to the question of whether or not the previous employer would re-hire. If the response is “no”, probe for reasons. You may need to cross check with other referees to avoid the possibility of personal bias.

View an example of a Telephone Reference Check form (PDF).