Reference check questions — 52 ready-to-use questions
A complete question bank for reference checks and reference interviews: grouped by theme, ready to copy, and aligned with Nordic employment law.
Good reference check questions are what separate a polite chat from real decision support. Most reference calls deliver little because the questions are generic and change from candidate to candidate. Below are 52 structured questions grouped by theme — the same set Referansio sends out automatically — plus the questions you are not permitted to ask in Norway and the wider Nordics.
Verification questions (always start here)
Start with facts. You will surface any gap between the CV and reality before spending time on qualitative questions.
- What were the exact dates the candidate worked with you?
- What was the candidate's job title and main responsibilities?
- What was your relationship — manager, peer or client?
- Did the candidate report directly to you?
- How many people did the candidate manage, if any?
- Why did the candidate leave?
Performance and professional level
Always ask for a concrete example after a rating question. Without an example, the answer is just a gut feeling.
- How would you describe the candidate's professional level compared with others in the same role?
- What are the candidate's three strongest professional qualities?
- Can you give a specific example of a result the candidate delivered?
- Did the candidate deliver on agreed deadlines and quality?
- On a scale of 1 to 5, how independently did the candidate work?
- What kind of work should the candidate not be assigned?
- How did the candidate handle periods of high pressure?
Collaboration and communication
This is where you assess culture fit. Ask about behaviour in specific situations, not about personality.
- How did the candidate work within the team?
- Can you describe a disagreement the candidate had — how was it resolved?
- How did the candidate communicate upwards, with leadership or clients?
- How did the candidate receive critical feedback?
- Were there colleague types the candidate worked particularly well or poorly with?
- How did the candidate contribute to the working environment?
Leadership and accountability
Use this group when hiring for leadership, project-lead or senior roles.
- How would you describe the candidate's leadership style?
- How did the candidate handle an underperforming team member?
- Which decisions did the candidate make alone, and which were escalated?
- How did the candidate prioritise when resources fell short?
- Did anyone grow professionally under the candidate's leadership?
- How did the candidate handle budget or commercial accountability?
Development areas and red flags
Frame the question as development, not weakness. That is how you get honest answers instead of polite ones.
- What development goal would you set for the candidate if they still worked with you?
- What was the hardest part of the job for the candidate?
- What should a new manager know to get the best out of this candidate?
- Were there any issues with reliability, attendance or deadlines?
- Was the candidate involved in conflicts that required follow-up?
- Is there anything I have not asked about that you think I should know?
Closing questions (the most revealing)
The first question in this group is the single most important one in the whole check.
- Would you hire this candidate again? Why, or why not?
- Would you recommend the candidate for this specific role? (describe it)
- On a scale of 1 to 10, how strongly do you recommend the candidate?
- In which type of role do you think the candidate would thrive most?
- Is there anything about our role you think would be demanding for the candidate?
Role-specific add-ons
Add two or three of these depending on what the role actually requires.
- Sales: Did the candidate deliver against target, and how did they build client relationships?
- IT: How was code quality, documentation and adherence to technical deadlines?
- Healthcare: How did the candidate handle confidentiality, procedures and patient contact?
- Construction: How did the candidate follow health and safety requirements?
- Customer service: How did the candidate handle dissatisfied customers?
- Finance: How were accuracy, controls and compliance?
How to use these questions
Pick 8–12 questions in total, not all 52. A reference check running past 25 minutes produces worse answers, because the referee starts giving short replies just to finish.
Use the exact same set for every candidate in the same process. That is what makes reference checks comparable and defensible — and it is the structured-selection requirement in Nordic public-sector hiring.
- 2–3 verification questions
- 3–4 performance questions tied to what the role actually requires
- 2 collaboration questions
- 1 development question
- Always: “Would you hire this person again?”
Questions you are not allowed to ask
The Norwegian Equality and Anti-Discrimination Act and the Working Environment Act section 13-4 apply to the reference conversation too. You cannot obtain information through a referee that you could not lawfully ask the candidate directly.
If a referee volunteers such information, it must not be recorded or used in the assessment. Referansio filters this in its reports and does not log sensitive categories.
- Pregnancy, family planning or caring responsibilities
- Health, sick leave and diagnoses
- Religion, belief and ethnicity
- Political views and trade-union membership
- Sexual orientation and relationship status
- Age, where not objectively relevant to the role
Written reference check or phone call?
A phone call gives nuance and follow-up questions. Written collection gives documentation, comparable answers and no calendar juggling — and referees respond when it suits them, which lifts response rates.
In practice the combination wins: send the structured questions digitally, then call only the referees whose answers warrant digging deeper.
Consent and documentation
Before contacting a single referee, the candidate must have given explicit, documented consent (GDPR art. 6 and 7) and must know which referees are contacted and what they will be asked.
Referee answers are personal data about both the candidate and the referee. The Norwegian DPA recommends deletion no later than 12 months after the hiring decision.
Frequently asked questions
Send these questions automatically
Referansio sends the questions to referees by email or SMS, chases them automatically, and returns one report with scores, quotes and red flags. Your first reference check is free.
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