Examples of reference check questions by competency

Why reference checks often remain too general

Many reference checks end with vague confirmations such as: “Yes, a great colleague” and “Always on time”. This provides little to go on, particularly for hard-to-find candidates or roles where safety, quality or turnover are at stake. By asking targeted reference check questions for each competency, you’ll obtain concrete evidence that aligns with your scorecard and interview.

How to set up a reference check that adds value

A reference check is most effective when you treat it as a mini-structured interview: a brief introduction, set questions and clear notes. The aim is not to “catch” anyone out, but to verify behaviour, identify risks and gain a clearer picture of expectations for the first few months.

Practical guidelines (GDPR-compliant and workable)

• Ask for permission the candidate’s details and make a note of who you’re calling.
• Check relevance: It is best to contact a line manager or a senior colleague who was able to assess their performance.
• Keep it brief: 15–20 minutes often works better than a long conversation.
• Ask about specific situations, not opinions.
• Make a note of the facts (what, when, result), no interpretations.

Are you unsure about retention periods or what you’re allowed to record? The Explanation from the Dutch Data Protection Authority regarding job application data helps you organise your process properly.

The basic structure that almost always works

• 1–2 minutes: who you are, why you’re calling, confirmation of consent.
• 2 minutes: role, duration of collaboration, context (shift, team, targets).
• 10–12 minutes: competency questions (choose 4–6 from your scorecard).
• 2–3 minutes: risks, areas for improvement, advice on onboarding.
• 1 minute: wrap up and say thank you.

Examples of reference check questions by competency

Don’t select all the competencies. Choose the 4–6 that make the difference in the role and define in advance what constitutes a “green”, “orange” and “red” signal. This ties in with working to a fixed benchmark, as with a selection scorecard for hiring managers or a structured interview.

1) Working together

• “Can you describe a situation where collaboration was difficult? What role did he/she play, and what changed afterwards?”
• “How did communication work during busy periods (shift handover, peak times, breakdowns)?”
• “What sort of colleagues did he or she work best with, and which ones were more difficult to work with?”
• “If you had to give one example of constructive feedback that he or she provided, what would it be and what effect did it have?”

2) Ownership and responsibility

• “When did he or she take on a task without being explicitly asked to do so? What was the result?”
• “How did he or she deal with mistakes or incidents: reporting them, resolving them, learning from them, or sweeping them under the carpet?”
• “Where exactly were you supposed to follow him/her?”
• “How reliable were they in keeping to agreements regarding planning, handover and follow-up?”

3) Safety awareness (blue-collar/engineering/industry)

• “Can you give a specific example of a time when he or she identified an unsafe situation and took action?”
• “Did he or she follow procedures when no one was looking? How could you tell?”
• “How did he/she balance time pressure against safety regulations?”
• “Has there ever been an incident or near-miss involving him or her? What was his or her role, and what lessons were learnt?”

4) A quality-focused approach

• “What did he/she do to ensure quality in their day-to-day work (checks, measurements, double-checking)?”
• “Give an example of a time when he or she prevented or resolved a quality issue.”
• “What was the balance between speed and accuracy?”
• “What were the recurring themes in his/her work?”

5) Problem-solving skills

• “Can you describe a persistent problem that he or she tackled? What steps did he or she take?”
• “What questions did he or she ask before a solution was found?”
• “Was he or she inclined to take a gamble, or rather to assess the situation and check their assumptions?”
• “How well did he/she collaborate with others on complex issues (technicians, planning, QA, sales)?”

6) Stress resilience and working under pressure

• “How did he or she respond to periods of peak demand or unexpected disruptions?”
• “Did he or she become quieter, more focused, more curt, or, on the contrary, someone who brought structure?”
• “Name a time when things were in danger of going wrong. What did he or she do then?”
• “Did he or she need time to recover after a busy period (absences, mistakes, conflicts), or did their performance remain stable?”

7) Customer focus (sales/service)

• “How did he/she deal with difficult customers or complaints? Can you give an example?”
• “How good were they at managing expectations (saying no, scope, delivery times)?”
• “In what way did he or she make a difference in customer relationship management or service?”
• “If you had to name one risk in terms of customer impact, what would it be?”

8) Commercial drive and a results-oriented approach (sales)

• “What were his or her targets, and how consistently were they met?”
• “How did he/she deal with rejection and long sales cycles?”
• “What did he/she do when the pipeline started to run low?”
• “What enabled him/her to win deals: product knowledge, relationships, discipline, negotiation skills?”

9) Readiness to learn and be coached

• “Can you give an example of feedback that he or she received and actually acted on to change their behaviour?”
• “How quickly did he or she get to grips with new tasks or systems?”
• “Where did the resistance lie: in the content, the style, or the priorities?”
• “Which form of guidance worked best (brief instructions, demonstration, independence)?”

Signals you want to capture explicitly

References are often polite. That’s why it helps to probe further for specific clues, especially if you’ve been left with a “sense of doubt” following the interview.

• Vague language: “It was okay” or “fine” without giving an example → ask for more details: “What made it fine? When did you notice that?”
• Answers that are too perfect: “never made a mistake” → question: “what was the most difficult situation, and how did you handle it?”
• Reverse question: “Suppose you were to take him or her on again, what would need to be different in terms of management or context?”
• Comparison question: “If you were to divide your team into three groups, where would you place him or her, and why?”

A compact reference table for consistency

A simple table will help you avoid ending up with nothing but a gut feeling after three interviews. You can also use it as input for your scorecard review.

Finally: make reference checks part of your selection process

The greatest benefit lies in the link: competencies from your scorecard → verifying the same competencies with a referee. This prevents your selection from being based on snap judgements, a well-known pitfall in recruitment. If you recognise this in your process, it is also useful to look at the mistakes that often cost the best candidates the job, particularly when it comes to objective methods and speed.

If you want to implement this as a standardised process (scorecard, structured interviews and reference checks that actually yield results), you can discuss with FosFor an approach that suits your roles and target group data. That way, you’ll turn references into more than just a formality – they’ll become a reliable check in a data-driven selection process.