Making the Most of Reference Checks: Plan, Probe, and Get a Rounded Picture

If you manage a fundraising operation with one or more job openings, you’re probably spending more time than you’d like on checking candidates’ references.

My firm has conducted about 3,000 reference calls in the course of placing hundreds of fundraising professionals, and we’ve learned a lot about asking the right questions and listening beyond the given responses.

Here are some of our insights into this essential part of the hiring process.

Professional References Reduce Risks

Professional references are used to reduce hiring risks, assuring us of a candidate’s ability to succeed. At the same time, it is unrealistic to expect that any part of the hiring process—from interviews to search committees to references—will produce a hiring guarantee.

We recommend a 360-degree perspective to the reference process. You will always want to speak to a supervisor. Speaking to a previous manager is perfectly fine. If the position calls for management, you’ll also want to talk to someone who reported directly to your candidate. If you have these nailed down, a colleague or peer interview will round out the picture for you. Each of these people will have a unique perspective on the candidate.

What you ask will vary, depending on the working relationship of the reference to the candidate, but in general, all reference interviews should be geared to ascertain the candidate’s technical skills and how he or she interacted with others in the same department.

If you are thinking of calling anyone not included on the candidate’s reference list, ask the candidate if there is anyone you should not contact. It is reasonable for the candidate to ask you not to call his or her current boss as a reference until an offer is on the table.

Preparing Your Questions

Create your reference questions to get information on how the candidate measures up to the technical requirements and personal attributes required by the position. Using open-ended questions whenever possible yields the most information.

We find the best reference interview questions come from a blend of the old standbys—such as “Tell me about the candidate’s principal strengths”—and those specific to the position you are filling. For instance, for major gift officer references, ask about candidates’ effectiveness in engaging lapsed donors, whether they attained their goals, and how they interacted with donors. For management positions, you’ll want to know if the candidate was able to retain staff and to motivate them to achieve. Ask for examples wherever appropriate: “Can you give me an example of a time when the candidate went over and beyond to complete a project on time?”

So, if you’re looking for a polished, sophisticated front-line fundraiser, a pointed question might be, “Tell me about the candidate’s relationships with wealthy donors and high-visibility corporate executives.” Follow that up with “How did the candidate build these relationships?”

One of the toughest areas to explore is a candidate’s organizational interactions. You might ask, “How did the candidate get along with others in the office?” or “Would you consider the applicant a team player?” Shape questions carefully using your own organization as a frame of reference: “This candidate has superior writing and analytic skills, but we have some demanding and critical program staff. How has she handled working with difficult people?” Or: “Was there ever a time you had to speak to this person about work style or behavior? What was his reaction?”

If you have specific concerns about a candidate’s potential fit, create respectfully worded questions to get the answers you need. For instance, if you are considering a candidate who is currently working in higher education and you are at an environmental group, you may have questions as to the candidate’s ability to work in a role that doesn’t have a built-in constituency.

Somewhere along the line of reviewing your interview notes and evaluating a candidate’s resume, you may have an “aha!” moment when you recognize one or more questions that need clarifying or elaboration—or maybe there’s a red flag that’s nagging at you. Be sure to add questions that address those concerns to your list as well.

Arranging the Call

Given the many demands on your time, it is tempting to squeeze reference checks between meetings, during lunch, or by cell on your way to an appointment. But references are a vital component of the hiring process and deserve your concentrated focus.

The conversation will go best if the candidate has shared the requirements for your job opening with the reference in advance and told the reference that you will be calling.

Before the actual interview call, make a preliminary contact to set up a specific time for the interview and ask the reference to set aside about 20 minutes for the conversation. To eliminate any miscommunication, tell him or her that you will initiate the call. If you follow this process, the reference will know exactly what you’re looking for and will be available to give you his or her focused attention.

On the Call

Reference conversations require you to listen for things that a reference may not say outright. Just because you can’t see the person doesn’t mean that you can’t learn a lot from a reference’s nonverbal communication. Excellent candidates often have references who are clearly enthusiastic about the applicant’s qualifications and are willing and able to give you detailed examples of successful projects, events, cultivation of donors, and more.

On the other end of the spectrum are people who give one-word answers, which may indicate a problem. You need to follow up. For example, if you ask, “Does the candidate work well under pressure?” and you receive a less-than-convincing “yeah,” your next question might be, “This is a role with many deadlines and aggressive goals. Can you tell me how the candidate responded in similar circumstances at your organization?”

Long pauses or sighs may be signs that the interview may not bode well for the candidate. Note what questions cause these reactions and come back to them from a different angle, if possible.

Be appreciative of the reference’s time, and cordially thank him or her.

After the Call

Never discuss reference information with a candidate. If you hear something negative, simply say that over the course of the process, you’ve come up with additional questions, and ask for another reference.

And take a moment to digest the reference information before you decide on a course of action that might lead to rejecting the candidate. Did a particular issue come up from more than one reference? How much of a negative was it? Again, you want to look at the whole picture of the candidate. If the negative comment casts a cloud over the potential candidate’s ability, my colleagues and I include that comment in our write-up. As a result, sometimes the organization wants to meet the candidate, and sometimes it doesn’t.