Published: September 24, 2026

Reference calls often produce generous but unusable answers. A former manager says the candidate was "great," "reliable," or "a pleasure to work with," and the hiring team records a positive check without learning anything about the duties in the open role.

A job-relevant reference check has a narrower purpose. It verifies work history the candidate authorized the company to examine and asks for examples connected to the role. For a virtual assistant, that may include recurring deadline management, handling unclear requests, protecting account access, documenting handoffs, or escalating decisions outside the person's authority.

Decide what the reference can add

Review the evidence already collected. If interviews and a work sample showed writing accuracy, the reference call does not need to ask a vague question about communication. It may be more useful to explore how the candidate handled repeated assignments over time, responded to corrections, or kept a manager informed when priorities changed.

Limit the check to unresolved, job-related questions. A reference is not a substitute for a missing role definition or an excuse to search for personal background. Write down what the team hopes to verify before contacting anyone.

For example, a company hiring a calendar and inbox assistant may need evidence about confidential information, deadline visibility, and escalation. It does not need the referee's opinion about the candidate's family, health, age, living arrangements, or personality outside work.

Tell the candidate what type of reference will be contacted, what the process covers, and how the information will be used. Follow applicable notice and authorization requirements for the location and arrangement. If a third-party background service is involved, additional rules may apply.

The Federal Trade Commission explains federal rights related to employer background checks performed by reporting companies in the United States. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau also provides an overview. Employers should obtain qualified advice instead of assuming every reference process is covered in the same way.

At the beginning of the call, confirm the referee's name, role, organization, working relationship with the candidate, and approximate period they worked together. Do not treat a personal friend as a former supervisor. If the relationship differs from what the candidate supplied, record the factual discrepancy and ask the candidate for clarification through the approved process.

Ask for examples, not ratings

Broad ratings invite broad praise. Questions about a specific work situation produce more useful context. Choose a short set from the role requirements:

  • What recurring work did the candidate own, and how was completion checked?
  • Can you describe a time instructions were incomplete? What did the candidate do before proceeding?
  • How did the candidate make open deadlines or blockers visible to you?
  • What types of decisions could the candidate make independently, and what required approval?
  • How did they handle access to shared mailboxes, calendars, customer records, or internal systems?
  • When work needed correction, how did they apply the feedback on later assignments?
  • What management routine helped them perform well?

The follow-up matters more than the list. If a referee says the candidate "communicated well," ask what information they received and at what point in the work. If the answer remains general, record it as general. Do not inflate it into evidence the referee did not provide.

Give the referee enough role context

Briefly describe the relevant duties without sharing confidential plans or other candidates' information. A referee cannot judge whether prior experience connects to a role they do not understand.

Keep the description factual: "This role coordinates a shared calendar, prepares drafts from approved sources, and routes customer exceptions to an account owner." Avoid leading language such as, "We think this person is perfect for a high-pressure executive role." That framing encourages confirmation rather than an independent account.

Ask about work the referee directly observed. A senior executive who only saw occasional final outputs may be less informative than a day-to-day manager or workflow owner. Position alone does not make a reference stronger.

Respect boundaries on personal information

Train reference checkers to stop and redirect when a conversation moves into protected or irrelevant personal details. They should not ask about disability, medical history, pregnancy, family responsibilities, religion, age, genetic information, or other protected characteristics.

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission describes prohibited employment practices under federal law. State, local, and international rules may add requirements. Use appropriate advisers to set the script and escalation path.

If a referee volunteers sensitive information, do not invite elaboration. Note that irrelevant information was not considered, restrict the record as directed by policy, and escalate to the authorized employment or legal owner when necessary. The hiring coordinator should not make a legal judgment alone.

Record facts without turning the call into a transcript

Use a structured record containing candidate, role, consent status, referee, relationship, dates, questions asked, factual examples, material discrepancy, checker, and completion time. Paraphrase accurately. Do not use quotation marks unless the words are exact and necessary.

Keep subjective notes out. "The referee sounded evasive" is an interpretation. "The referee declined to confirm dates and said company policy permits only title verification" is a factual record. Many organizations limit what references may disclose, and that limitation is not evidence against the candidate.

Reference records contain personal information about the candidate and referee. The Federal Trade Commission's business guidance recommends keeping only needed information, protecting it, and disposing of it securely. Set access and retention instead of leaving notes in a recruiter's personal document.

Handle discrepancies consistently

Decide before calls which differences require candidate follow-up. A one-month date difference, a materially different title, and a denial that the person worked there should not automatically receive the same treatment.

Give the candidate a fair opportunity to correct factual information through the approved process. Company changes, contractor relationships, payroll entities, and title conventions can explain apparent conflicts. Record the explanation and route consequential decisions to the named hiring owner.

Do not let the last reference become an informal veto. The hiring team should apply the same decision rule across candidates and consider the reference alongside the defined evidence for the role.

Close the check

Before ending, ask whether the referee wants to correct or clarify any job-related answer. Confirm that the hiring team has a usable contact method if a factual follow-up is necessary. Do not request open-ended permission to contact other people without the candidate's knowledge.

After the call, mark the check complete, route any approved follow-up, and remove scheduling notes that no longer serve a purpose. Review the question set when calls repeatedly produce irrelevant answers. That often means the prompts are too broad.

OnboardingEmployees helps teams connect virtual assistant screening, reference evidence, offer coordination, and onboarding readiness. Review virtual assistant screening support or request a staffing support plan.

Common reference-check questions

How many references are enough?

Use the number justified by the role and approved process. More calls do not automatically improve evidence, especially when each referee observed the same limited work.

What if a former employer only confirms title and dates?

Record the limitation consistently. Do not penalize a candidate because the employer follows a standard disclosure policy. Use other approved evidence for the unresolved criterion.

Should the team ask whether the referee would rehire the candidate?

That answer may depend on policy, budget, or circumstances unrelated to the role. Questions about observed work and management conditions usually provide clearer evidence.

Can a current manager be required as a reference?

Requiring contact with a current employer may expose a confidential job search. Set a process that accounts for that risk and obtain appropriate employment guidance.

Continue building the workflow

Connect this process to the virtual assistant role brief, then use the virtual assistant onboarding checklist for the next handoff. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission explains that employment selection procedures should be job related and consistent with business necessity.