<aside> 💡 References are a critical piece to the interview process! They can help you understand someone’s past performance and give you a sense of potential future performance. You can use references as a way to address specific concerns. Keep in mind though that these references will likely connect with the candidate after your call and discuss the questions you asked.

Don’t just rely on these references. Consider backchannel references when you can - Ask your team members if they have any connections to the candidate’s previous coworkers. Backchannels are more likely to give you honest feedback.

You can use this template for each reference call.

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<aside> <img src="/icons/card_gray.svg" alt="/icons/card_gray.svg" width="40px" /> Reference Details

<aside> <img src="https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/public.notion-static.com/1f88cc90-92fd-4ce4-bfcd-25daec2ffbbe/4057b001-a22e-417a-b44a-7263ac8a3133/Arrow.png" alt="https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/public.notion-static.com/1f88cc90-92fd-4ce4-bfcd-25daec2ffbbe/4057b001-a22e-417a-b44a-7263ac8a3133/Arrow.png" width="40px" /> Name of reference:

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<aside> <img src="https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/public.notion-static.com/1f88cc90-92fd-4ce4-bfcd-25daec2ffbbe/4057b001-a22e-417a-b44a-7263ac8a3133/Arrow.png" alt="https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/public.notion-static.com/1f88cc90-92fd-4ce4-bfcd-25daec2ffbbe/4057b001-a22e-417a-b44a-7263ac8a3133/Arrow.png" width="40px" /> Title and Company:

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<aside> <img src="https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/public.notion-static.com/1f88cc90-92fd-4ce4-bfcd-25daec2ffbbe/4057b001-a22e-417a-b44a-7263ac8a3133/Arrow.png" alt="https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/public.notion-static.com/1f88cc90-92fd-4ce4-bfcd-25daec2ffbbe/4057b001-a22e-417a-b44a-7263ac8a3133/Arrow.png" width="40px" /> Relationship to the candidate:

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<aside> <img src="https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/public.notion-static.com/1f88cc90-92fd-4ce4-bfcd-25daec2ffbbe/4057b001-a22e-417a-b44a-7263ac8a3133/Arrow.png" alt="https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/public.notion-static.com/1f88cc90-92fd-4ce4-bfcd-25daec2ffbbe/4057b001-a22e-417a-b44a-7263ac8a3133/Arrow.png" width="40px" /> Contact Info:

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Main Questions

  1. Introduce yourself/company/the role

  2. How did you two work together?

  3. What are the times you’ve been most impressed with this person?

  4. Can you describe this person’s communication style with other team members?

  5. What are the top 3 areas this person has an opportunity to grow?

  6. Do you have any advice on how we can set this person up to be successful if they join? Specifically, what areas can we make sure to provide support/guidance in the first few months?

  7. Would you hire / work with this person again?

  8. Is there anything else you’d like to mention?

  9. Thank the references!

Additionally