We are interviewing a lot at CB Insights these days. And one of the key things I hammer on now is references.

So assuming the team likes you, we ask for references. This used to be a useless formality.

But now I’d say 1 of 3 candidates don’t pass the reference phase. If you cannot find 2-3 folks who are effusive about you, that is a warning sign.

I am still refining my technique on reference calls but feel like the questions are getting better at uncovering the essence of a person.

For those who have or are hiring, have you found certain questions really help understand someone’s impressions of a person you are hiring when doing a reference?

I’d love to hear them in the comments.