"References Are Just a Box to Tick (And That’s a Problem)"

I’m going to tell you something that might surprise you: in 15 years of recruitment, I’ve received exactly one bad reference.

One. Out of thousands.

Does that mean every candidate I’ve placed was perfect? Of course not. It means reference checks, as most companies conduct them, are largely theatre.

Why References Rarely Reveal Anything

Think about how references work. A candidate chooses who to list. They’re obviously going to pick people who will say nice things about them. No one lists the manager they clashed with or the colleague who witnessed their worst moments.

Former employers are also cautious. Many companies have policies against providing detailed references due to legal concerns. They’ll confirm dates of employment and maybe job title. That’s it.

So you end up with carefully selected referees giving carefully sanitised feedback. It’s a checkbox exercise that rarely changes hiring decisions.

When References Actually Matter

That one bad reference I mentioned? It was valuable precisely because it was unexpected. The referee started enthusiastically but gradually revealed concerns about reliability and follow-through. It prompted us to dig deeper and ultimately saved our client from a problematic hire.

References can provide value when you know how to use them properly:

Ask specific, behavioural questions rather than general ones. “Tell me about a time when this person faced a tight deadline” reveals more than “Were they a good employee?”

Listen for hesitation and what’s not said as much as what is. Qualified praise often signals genuine concerns the referee doesn’t want to state directly.

Verify the relationship. Confirm how long they worked together and in what capacity. “Best friend pretending to be former manager” is more common than you’d think.

Go beyond the provided list when possible. LinkedIn can help you find mutual connections who might give more candid feedback.

A Better Approach

Instead of relying heavily on references, invest more time in:

Structured interviews with behavioural questions. Skills assessments and work samples. Trial periods or contract-to-permanent arrangements. Thorough background checks for roles that require them.

References should be one data point among many, not a deciding factor. Treat them as a final sanity check rather than a comprehensive evaluation.

The Bottom Line

If you’re making hiring decisions based primarily on reference checks, you’re building on shaky ground. Use them as intended—a final verification—and invest your real due diligence effort elsewhere.

The best predictor of future performance is past performance, but you’ll learn more about that through well-designed interviews and assessments than from someone the candidate hand-picked to sing their praises.