A well-written resume is a promising sign of a promising candidate—but it is just one sign. Truth is, most any job candidate can hire a professional resume writer to make them look good on paper; it’s much harder to exercise control over their job references. Speaking to an actual person who is knowledgeable about the candidate’s job performance offers another sign into why (or why not) a candidate is a good fit for the job. Work style, personality, punctuality, diligence, competence: all things to be learned about the candidate through the eyes of their contemporaries. So if references are so quick, easy, and relatively painless to check, there is no excuse for so many employers to skip this step when vetting a new hire!

To make the most of a reference call, first provide some context to help the reference provide the answers you want to know. Let’s use a sample job candidate—we’ll call her “Cara.” When you get Cara’s references on the phone, first share some information about your company, its culture, your department’s challenges, and what traits you’re looking for in this position. Then ask good questions to assess Cara’s fit for the position and with your company’s culture.

Examples of strong questions:

• What makes Cara a good fit for this position?
• How did Cara get along with her peers and supervisors?
• What makes Cara stand out among her peers?
• What was one of Cara’s most memorable achievements while working with you?
• What type of work environment would Cara best thrive in?
• How would you rate Cara on a scale of 1–10? Why did you rate her that way? What could she do to make herself a 10?
• What advice can you give me to successfully manage Cara?
• Are there certain areas where we can give Cara additional support to improve a weakness?
• If the situation presented, would you rehire Cara?
• Is there anything else you would like to share?

Reference checks aren’t the worst, especially now you know how to make them work for you. When you establish a framework customized to your needs, the answers should shed some light on whether Cara—or someone else—is the right candidate for your job opening. But you won’t get answers if you don’t ask questions. So be sure to pick up the phone and seize this opportunity to vet your next group of applicants!