Most reference calls are theater. You call, they confirm employment dates, say something generic about work ethic, and hang up. Everyone is polite. Nobody learns anything.
A good reference call is a conversation, not a checklist. It surfaces the things that interviews can’t: how someone handles failure, what they’re like on a bad day, and whether they make the people around them better.
We’ve done hundreds of reference calls at Jobsly, and we’ve learned that the quality of the call depends almost entirely on the questions you ask and the space you create for honest answers. Here’s the framework we use.
Setting the stage
Before you ask a single question, you need to establish the right dynamic. Most references expect a five-minute formality. If you treat it like one, that’s what you’ll get. Instead, start by explaining that you’re trying to understand how to set this person up for success, not whether they’re “good enough.”
This reframing changes everything. The reference stops being defensive and starts being helpful. They’re not protecting their friend — they’re helping them succeed in their next role. That shift in framing is the difference between getting corporate pleasantries and getting real insight.
We also share context about the role: what the person would be doing, what the team looks like, what the first 90 days would involve. When the reference understands the context, their answers become dramatically more useful. Instead of “she’s a great engineer,” you get “she’s great at greenfield projects but gets frustrated maintaining legacy systems.”
The ten questions that matter
We’ve refined our reference call framework over hundreds of hires. The questions are simple but pointed: “What would you have wanted them to do differently?” “If you were starting a company, would you try to hire them? For what role?” “What’s the most critical feedback you’ve given them?”
The trick isn’t the questions — it’s the follow-ups. When someone pauses before answering, that’s where the real information lives. Press gently. The silence tells you more than the words.
Other questions we’ve found valuable: “Describe a time they disagreed with a decision. How did they handle it?” “What type of manager brings out their best work?” “If I asked their peers, what would they say is this person’s biggest blind spot?”
The question we always end with: “Is there anything I should know that I haven’t asked about?” This open-ended closer is where the most surprising information surfaces. People want to share. They just need permission.
Reading between the lines
The best references say specific things. “She rewrote our deployment pipeline in three weeks and it hasn’t broken since” is a reference. “He’s a great team player” is not.
Listen for stories, not adjectives. The more specific the anecdote, the more reliable the signal.
Pay attention to what isn’t said. If you ask about leadership and the reference pivots to individual contribution, that’s a signal. If you ask about conflict resolution and they talk about how nice the person is, that’s a different signal. The topics people avoid are as informative as the topics they lean into.
Red flags and green flags
Red flags: the reference is vague, gives only superlatives, or seems to be reading from a script. Also watch for references who are too eager — if someone is overselling, ask yourself why. The best candidates don’t need their references to campaign for them.
Green flags: the reference shares both strengths and growth areas without being prompted. They give examples with dates, project names, and specific outcomes. They ask you questions about the role because they genuinely want to help the candidate succeed.
The strongest signal of all is when a reference says something like, “I’d hire them again tomorrow.” That’s not a platitude when it comes with twenty minutes of specific context about what it was like to work with the person.
How Rob handles references
At Jobsly, Rob synthesizes reference data alongside interview performance and assessment scores to build a holistic view. A glowing reference paired with a mediocre work sample triggers a deeper look. A lukewarm reference paired with exceptional performance does too.
The goal isn’t to use references as a pass/fail gate. It’s to use them as calibration. References tell you what the resume and the interview can’t: what this person is actually like to work with, every day, when no one is watching.