10 Great Questions to Ask a Referee

When you're recruiting someone, it's important to ask the Referees the right questions. By doing so, you can make sure that they provide the most useful information.

Here are some of the most important questions to ask:

1. What is your relationship to the individual ?
2. How well do you know them ?
3. What is your impression of their work?
4. Would you recommend the person for this position?
5. For what reasons would you not recommend them ?
6. What are their strengths and weaknesses?
7. Can you think of any specific examples where they excelled or failed in their role with you?
8. Is there anything that you feel would be useful for me to know ?
9. Do you have any other comments about this individual ?
10. Would you rehire this individual ?

By asking the Referees these questions, you can give them guidelines as to the sort of information you would find useful.

Asking for specific examples or achievements of their work is also a good way to get them to provide more than just generalities.

Do make sure that you ask for other comments for useful information, and about rehiring as this gives the Referee more opportunity to give a useful, well-rounded reference.