Imagine you’re asked to provide a reference for a former colleague who’s applying for their dream job. You want to help them land the role, but how do you ensure your feedback is both honest and impactful?
Whether you’re a former manager, teammate, or mentor, serving as a professional reference requires a balance of insight and professionalism. Here are six essential tips to guide you through the process and make your reference call a success.
Now, let’s dive into each of these tips in more detail.
When asked to serve as a reference, make sure you understand the basics of the role and organization they are applying for and why they believe it’s a good next step in their career. If you don’t know or have questions because you didn’t have time to touch base with your colleague or just need more context, feel free to ask the search consultant to make the most of the conversation. Even if you regularly stay in touch or it’s been a bit, it’s okay to ask your colleague to remind you of their accomplishments or if there are any areas they’d like you to focus on. If you are this person’s former direct report, the search consultant is probably looking to better understand your colleague’s management style or if a former supervisor, how your colleague manages up. Follow up with your colleague after the reference conversation to let them know you spoke with the recruiter – that’s usually a good sign things are moving in a positive direction.
Reference conversations are usually at the final steps of the process, so try your best to be readily available even upon short notice. If you are traveling or can’t fit it into your schedule for whatever reason, be up front with the search consultant, so they can pivot quickly to another reference. Timing is everything; candidates may have other offers pending. In fact, there could be multiple candidates waiting for updates that hinge on your reference call.
The purpose of a reference call is to provide your unique perspective into working with your colleague. It’s a time to spotlight them and their accomplishments and moments of growth. Talking more about yourself than your colleague is an easier trap to fall into than you might expect. A little background context might be helpful to the point you’re trying to make but keep the focus on your colleague’s work. Perhaps when describing your colleague’s communication skills, you might reference how you are the teams’ writing authority, which helps to frame your high standards and how your colleague might meet those. Veering too far into your responsibilities and achievements might overshadow your colleagues’ work or even muddy the waters about what initiatives they led.
One of the most common traps reference conversations fall into is when the reference focuses on superficially praising the candidate, using language like “the best colleague I’ve ever worked with,” “highly skilled and incredibly talented,” or “a real team player,” but without ever going beyond those surface-level descriptions. It’s great to hear these things, but if the reference can’t back up their praise with specific on-the-job examples, it doesn’t hold much stock and can sometimes even ring false or feel forced. For example, if you’re telling me that a candidate is collaborative, don’t just leave it at that; rather, provide an example of how you observed that person demonstrate collaboration. Was there a time they went out of their way to gather input from multiple team members before making an important decision? Did they encourage group brainstorming sessions over working in silos on any particular projects? Have they ever welcomed feedback from others or adjusted a specific strategy based off someone else’s suggestion? Those types of examples are what can distinguish a generic or unconvincing reference conversation from one with enough substance and impact to really push a candidate over the edge when a hiring manager is trying to make a final decision. Our advice? Beforehand, identify the specific attributes you think the candidate has that make them a uniquely good fit for the role, and then come prepared with 3-4 specific real-life stories from your time working with them that illustrate those attributes.
This one may seem like a given, but you’d be surprised how often we speak with references who, knowingly or not, misrepresent a candidate’s experience or characteristics. Sometimes this happens because the recruiter asks about an area that the reference cannot speak to, so they wind up fabricating an answer rather than just being upfront about what they don’t know. If you’re asked about a candidate’s staff management skills or their ability to gain the trust of board members, but you’ve never actually observed them in those settings, just say so! We know that one person can’t always speak to every area we’re trying to assess in a candidate’s experience. It will make for a more productive and efficient conversation if we can move onto the next question or be asked for clarification rather than have someone try to force a response to a question they aren’t prepared to answer.When it comes to honesty, a related thread is how to respond to the dreaded “weakness” question. As recruiters our job is to get a full picture of every candidate, both strengths and growth areas, so that the employer can make the best possible decision for not only their team but also the placement themselves. In that vein, when asked where someone has room to develop further, we really do encourage you to be straightforward and avoid dodging the question. While it’s tempting to say that someone is perfect and has no room for further growth, that’s rarely ever the case. Such responses can even backfire and make the overall conversation feel inauthentic. The most convincing reference conversations are often the ones where someone is willing to acknowledge a candidate’s potential growth opportunities while also focusing on why their strengths and experiences still make them the right fit for the position. In short, responding honestly to a “weakness” question will make all the other praiseworthy attributes you’ve mentioned feel that much more genuine.
Lastly, don’t forget that this is a work conversation. You might have developed a friendship with the colleague you’re talking about, but don’t emphasize that when speaking with the recruiter. What they need to understand is the capacity in which you’ve worked together. If you draw too much attention to a personal relationship, you may be seen as biased which will undermine the positive things you say. Similarly, be mindful of how much information you are divulging on the call. When talking about someone you like, it’s easy for personal details to slip out in the midst of conversation. Sometimes this is harmless or even adds helpful color to the picture you are trying to paint, but other times it results in the recruiter knowing things about someone’s life outside of work that the candidate would rather keep private. Information like a person’s marital status or whether or not they have children are not usually relevant to their ability to perform a job, and should never be the basis upon which a hiring decision is made. Recruiters generally avoid wading too deep into personal territory with candidates since details such as these can create biases in the employer, and it’s important for you as a reference to keep this in mind when talking about your colleague. If you’re unsure, just ask them beforehand! “Are there any details you would prefer I not mention during the conversation?” is a perfectly normal and appropriate question in this context. That being said, including an occasional funny story or small, non-work-related anecdote about someone (i.e. “they love plants and have a green thumb”) can be a nice way to help humanize someone and add some character to your comments, as long as it feels appropriate.
Campbell & Company is a national consulting firm that supports nonprofit organizations in creating greater impact through executive search, fundraising, communications, and strategic information services. Since 1976, Campbell & Company has helped over 2,500 clients grow their fundraising results through an integrated approach. In addition, our award-winning executive search team brings a record of success in placing exceptional leaders across the nonprofit sector.
We’re ready to invest in your success. Are you?
