Making the Call There’s psychology, too, behind how to ask questions and making sure easy yes/no queries lead to open-ended answers.
Grant Mazmanian of Pinnacle Group International of Media, Pa., says you can learn nearly everything by posing one long question: “Hi, my name is Grant Mazmanian from Smith Remodeling, and Billy Illustration: Phil Foster told us he worked for you, and he’s given your name as a reference, and he might be working here as an office manager, and it’s fairly chaotic — we throw a lot of things at you — and we need someone who works well in that environment … so we were wondering: Would Billy be successful in this position?”
The question’s yes or no answer keeps you to the concrete: What’s Billy’s ability to get the job done well? Through probing, you can ask performance-related questions: What would hinder him from doing his job successfully? How could we successfully support him in the transition to this new position? And the last question should always be: Is there anything else we should know about Billy?
Laura Benjamin, a Colorado Springs, Colo., business development consultant, says there are two main questions: Is Billy “rehire-able?” And, is there anything you can tell us about his work performance? “Stay positive,” she says. “Ask, ‘What did he really do to knock your socks off?’”
Another key question can lead you to people who aren’t on Billy’s formal reference list: “Do you know anyone else familiar with the candidate and his work?”
Eliminate the words “reference check” from your vocabulary, Bliss advises. You want to say you’re considering your candidate for the job. Specify his duties and that he noted during the interview that the person you’re calling would have positive things to say and could comment on what you’d need to know to work effectively with him.
Additional questions Bliss suggests:
Bliss says the last question is legal because it relates to investigative/disciplinary activities at the former employee’s workplace during his or her tenure. Do not ask about outside criminal activities or complaints the former employee made to an enforcement agency such as the EEOC (those would be illegal inquiries).
References should merely confirm your initial impressions. Bliss says once you’ve reviewed reference reports, resolve discrepancies by calling back references who gave conflicting information. Evaluate negative references fairly. Talk to the candidate about the comments.