Reference Checks: Signal Over Praise

Reference checks are often treated like a formality—just one last box to check. But I see them as a crucial part of the hiring process, a 20-minute opportunity to get honest, grounded signal on things that matter most.

My approach is simple: be respectful of their time, stay curious, and listen closely for signal across four areas—teamwork, productivity, feedback, and skill. I’m not trying to extract praise or reassurance. I’m here to serve both the candidate and our team by deepening our shared understanding of how to set them up for success.

Teamwork

I’m listening for how this person showed up on a team. Did they:

• collaborate well with others?
• share credit and deflect blame?
• help teammates level up?
• make others feel heard and supported?

Sometimes the signal is direct. More often, it’s embedded in stories or throwaway comments: “They were the one people went to when things got stuck.” That kind of thing matters. I’m not just listening for individual excellence—I’m listening for patterns that contribute to a healthy, human-centered system.

Productivity

Here I’m looking for patterns in output and ownership:

• Were they reliable and consistent?
• Did they take initiative and follow through?
• Were they organized and clear in how they worked?

I try not to over-index on sheer speed, but I do want to know: did they do what they said they would do? Were they someone others could depend on? I come to these calls ready to be surprised—open to learning how we might better support the candidate's working style or strengths if they join our team.

Feedback

This one’s big for me. I want to know:

• How did they respond to feedback?
• Did they seek it out?
• Did they grow from it?
• Could they deliver it in a way that was thoughtful and kind?

A candidate’s relationship to feedback is one of the clearest signals of how they’ll grow on a team. I care deeply about investing in potential—not just what someone has done, but how they’ve evolved and stretched. Do they take feedback as fuel? Are they curious enough to pursue growth without being prompted?

Skill

Finally, I want to understand how this person’s skills matched the role they were in—and how they evolved:

• Were they strong technically or creatively?
• Did they show growth over time?
• Were they a good fit for the level they were hired into?

This helps me assess whether we’re putting them in a role that plays to their strengths and gives them room to grow. It’s not just about technical match—it’s about trajectory, and whether we’re creating the right conditions for them to thrive.

Reference checks aren’t about confirming a hire—they’re about deepening the picture. They add context, texture, and nuance. Done well, they reflect a values-based hiring practice: one rooted in humility, mutual care, and the long-term flourishing of both people and teams.