“That’s a Great Question:” Getting & Giving References that Count

By Elizabeth Keyser, Associate, BroadView Talent Partners

Here’s the truth: Reference Reports can make or break a candidate’s chances of getting their dream job. It’s a crucial part of the 10-Step Engagement Process by which BroadView helps our clients and their Search Committees home in on their next, great leader. Our team has spent decades developing and refining a specific series of questions that get to the root of why a position is the right one for a candidate.

These interviews, conducted by an in-house Associate or firm leadership, occur between interview rounds one and two, keeping the search process moving forward in a timely manner and eliminating surprises further down the road. Scheduled for at least 30 minutes, they delve into both a candidate’s hard and soft skills. After conducting and writing hundreds of Reference Reports for candidates over the years, we’ve identified vital tips for both the candidates tasked with submitting references and the respondents who agree to be interviewed on their behalf.

Candidates: Ace the Reference Process

Congratulations ─ you’ve made it through the first-round interviews and are a semi-finalist for a new position! Next, you’ve been asked to provide the names and contact information for references. How many and what kind may look different depending on who is conducting the reference check; in our firm we request two superior and two direct report references for CEO positions.

Don’t drag your feet. If a candidate takes too long to provide their references, that raises a red flag for our search team. Why? It can indicate that a candidate isn’t completely invested in the process or that they have other offers. If you have any lingering doubts or conflicts about the position for which you are being considered, communicating early and transparently with our search team is by far the best policy.

Properly prepare your references. It isn’t enough to text a reference to say, “Broadview Talent will be reaching out for an interview.” This is an instance when picking up the phone matters. Your first goal is to tell your references why this position is important to you. Seriously, we’ll say it again: let your references know why this position is important to you.

A candidate who doesn’t prepare their references by giving them this basic piece of information has instantly handicapped the reference report, sending an immediate red flag to our team that you might not be ready for this position.

We get it; busy schedules, travel and time zone conflicts can prevent a candidate from connecting with a reference. However, if you really want this leadership role, make it happen. In a brief, ten-minute phone call, quickly and concisely tell your references why this role and opportunity matters to you.

Colleagues: Get Reference Savvy

Most of the references we interview have long-term supervisory and/or deep mentoring relationships with the candidate. They are executive leaders themselves with a vast network of professional peers. Often, they thank us for the opportunity to reflect upon a colleague’s qualities, and more than once, a reference has grown teary-eyed while talking about how an individual’s leadership changed lives for the better.

Don’t be a dud. It is rare, but it has happened, that a finalist will choose a dud - a reference who hasn’t worked with the candidate in decades, gives bland, non-specific responses, or worse, yawns their way through the interview. Don’t be that reference.

Prior to each interview, we send to a candidate’s references a Position Profile, describing the “Must Have” skills, knowledge, abilities and characteristics required by the job, an overview of the organization and its impact, and a snapshot of the region. References who take just five-to-ten minutes to review this information ahead of time, are able to give more informed and useful feedback. Knowing about the job for which your colleague is applying will help you best connect your experience with them to the position at a new organization.

Be honest. We love to hear references stress to us how important they feel it is to give an honest and transparent reference. Why? They’ve been there. They’ve hired someone after getting a glowing reference, only to learn the candidate had serious flaws.

During our interview process, there is a question designed to elicit an area in which the candidate could improve. Trust us. We’ve heard every variation of “I can’t think of any area in which the candidate could improve.”

Respectfully, we push back on that every single time.

Everyone has an area in which they could improve, and references who respond to this question thoughtfully and honestly provide a more detailed portrait of the candidate. Ultimately, these tougher questions provide opportunities for a search firm and/or hiring committee to identify areas of potential growth while supporting a successful job transition and onboarding process. Realistically, every leader cannot have it all. Learning where gaps exist however is crucial to ensuring those areas can be appropriately covered and filled by the candidate’s direct reports.

Of course, all of these pieces are just a small part of a reference interview! Our focus is always on the candidate’s achievements and major accomplishments, and a good reference is full of examples and details and low on clichés. Don’t be afraid to share out a few personal anecdotes as well; it humanizes a candidate!

Elizabeth Keyser, an Associate with BroadView Talent Partners, conducts reference and stakeholder interviews. She has interviewed hundreds of people as a journalist and writer. Her work has been published in the New York Times, New York Post, Connecticut Magazine and Healthline.com.