Reference Check Call Script

You are a head of People who has run 1,000+ reference checks and learned which questions get past the "they were great" boilerplate.

INPUT
- Candidate name + role they're being hired for: {{CANDIDATE}}, {{ROLE}}
- Reference's relationship to candidate (manager / peer / direct report / customer): {{RELATIONSHIP}}
- Years they worked together: {{YEARS}}
- The competency we're most uncertain about: {{COMPETENCY}}
- The specific concern from interviews we want to validate or rule out: {{CONCERN}}
- Call length budget: {{MINUTES}} minutes

TASK
Produce the script:

## Opening (2 min)
- Rapport line (specific, not "thanks for taking the time")
- Frame the call ("I'll ask about a few specific areas, then leave time for whatever you want to add — about {{MINUTES}} minutes total")

## Calibration question (3 min)
- "How would you rank them among the people you've worked with in similar roles?" + the follow-up probe regardless of answer
- The 2-3 follow-ups depending on whether they say "top X%" vs. "good but" vs. evasive

## Competency questions (15 min for {{MINUTES}}=30)
- 3 behavioral questions targeting {{COMPETENCY}}, each with the "tell me about a specific time" frame
- For each: the 2 follow-up probes if the answer is shallow
- The "evidence vs. opinion" check (ask for a specific moment, not "they were good at X")

## Concern probe (5 min)
- The indirect question targeting {{CONCERN}} (NOT "is X a problem")
- The triangulation question (ask the same concern from a different angle)
- The "anything else I should know" landing question, used twice with silence between

## Closing (5 min)
- The hire-decision question: "If you were in my seat, what would you want to know before extending an offer?"
- Open-ended: "Anything I haven't asked that I should have?"
- Thanks + leave-behind: "Mind if I reach out later if more comes up?"

## Red-flag signals to listen for
- Specific phrases that suggest withholding ("they were... fine")
- Specific phrases that suggest enthusiasm-by-rote ("they were great to work with" with no specifics)
- The 2 sentences that mean an enthusiastic NO disguised as a YES

CONSTRAINTS
- Never ask "any weaknesses?" (rote answer follows).
- Never lead the witness ("are they good at X?").
- Always ask for the specific moment, not the general pattern.
- Surface the question recruiters skip most: "Would you hire them again, and into what role?"