What To Say For A Reference Check

When conducting a reference check, start by introducing yourself and stating the purpose of your call. Ask the reference to confirm the candidate’s job title, employment dates, and responsibilities. Inquire about the candidate’s strengths, areas for improvement, reliability, and reasons for leaving.

When you’re asked to provide a reference for a former colleague or employee, it’s both a responsibility and an opportunity to support someone’s career advancement. However, it’s important to handle this task with care and professionalism. Providing a strong, honest reference can be crucial for the candidate’s job search, and how you present your evaluation can significantly impact their prospects.

First, keep your reference factual. Stick to the concrete details of the person’s work performance and avoid delving into personal opinions or subjective judgments. This not only ensures a fair representation of the candidate’s abilities but also helps you stay compliant with legal considerations. For example, instead of saying someone is “a pleasure to work with,” you might state, “provided exceptional customer service and consistently met or exceeded performance goals.”

Qualify what you say to provide a clear frame of reference for your statements. Use specific metrics or examples that highlight the individual’s strengths and accomplishments. For instance, rather than saying, “They were great at managing projects,” you could say, “They successfully managed five major projects, delivering all on time and within budget over a two-year period.”

Make your praise specific to give a potential employer a clear understanding of the candidate’s competencies. Generic statements can sound insincere and be less impactful. Instead, pinpoint exact tasks or projects where the person excelled. For example, “John led the overhaul of our inventory management system, which resulted in a 20% increase in efficiency.”

Avoid bringing up any examples that could highlight the candidate’s weaknesses. The goal is to support their job application by putting forward their best qualities. If you are asked a question that would lead to highlighting a weak area, it’s often best to steer back to neutral or positive aspects. For example, if queried about how they deal with tight deadlines (an area they struggled with), you might focus on their adaptive skills or improvements made over time.

In summary, providing a reference involves a careful balance of honesty, specificity, and positivity. Stick to the facts, provide qualified statements supported by examples, highlight specific achievements, and avoid discussing weaknesses. This approach ensures that your reference is both professional and supportive, ultimately helping the candidate present their best self to prospective employers.