In the regulatory sector, accountability, judgment and professionalism are essential, so hiring the right individual is key.
While resumes and interviews can showcase a candidate’s potential, speaking with references gives you an opportunity to validate information provided, and learn important details that may not come up during the interview.
These are five essential reference check questions every recruiter should aim to ask, especially when hiring for positions in licensing and professional regulation.
What was your working relationship with the candidate?
This foundational question helps you understand how closely the reference worked with the candidate. Understand their relationship, were they a direct manager, a colleague, or someone from another department?
Knowing the nature of the relationship adds credibility to the feedback you’ll receive. A direct supervisor will likely have more insight into a candidate’s performance, decision-making, and reliability than a distant coworker.
You can also ask for clarity on the reporting structure or specific projects they worked on together.
Can you describe how the candidate handled challenging situations?
Every regulatory professional will face pressure, whether it’s a tight deadline, a high-stakes decision, or a conflict with a stakeholder. This question gives the reference an opportunity to speak about how the candidate approaches adversity.
You’ll want to listen for examples that reflect a calm, solutions-focused mindset, the ability to remain professional under stress, and a tendency to act ethically and decisively.
Look out for a track record of resilience, good judgment, and the ability to manage complexity. These traits are essential in any regulatory role.
What would you say are the candidate’s greatest strengths?
Candidates will naturally highlight their best qualities during interviews, but beyond this, it is important to hear what others say about them. Asking references to name the candidate’s top strengths can validate what the candidate told you or give you a different perspective.
This question can also help you understand how those strengths played out in practice. For example, did their strong communication skills lead to improved team collaboration? Did their attention to detail reduce compliance issues?
You can ask for a specific example of when the candidate’s strength made a measurable impact.
If you had the chance, would you rehire this person? Why or why not?
This is one of the most revealing questions you can ask. A reference’s willingness to rehire someone speaks volumes. A confident “yes” usually indicates the person made a positive contribution to the team and left on good terms.
If there’s hesitation, it doesn’t necessarily disqualify the candidate, but it does signal that you should probe further. Whatever their response is, be sure to ask them to explain what factors influenced their response, this can reveal more about the candidate’s professional strengths or limitations.
How would you describe the candidate’s communication style?
In regulatory roles, clear, respectful, and timely communication is critical. Whether dealing with registrants, the public, or internal teams, the ability to convey information effectively and diplomatically makes a big difference.
Ask references to reflect on how the candidate communicated in various situations. Were they proactive in sharing updates? Comfortable giving and receiving feedback? Able to simplify complex information? You can tailor this question to other essential soft skills, such as time management, adaptability, or collaboration.
Why these questions matter
Regulatory bodies are trusted with protecting the public and upholding professional standards. That responsibility means your hires must bring more than just technical skills, they must also demonstrate sound ethics, professionalism, and the ability to work in environments that require high level of accountability.
Aim to ask these thoughtful reference check questions to help verify a resume, evaluate work ethic and potential red (or green!) flags.
Remember, if you’re building a recruitment process that attracts and secures the best-fit candidates, checking candidates references should be part of a broader, intentional hiring strategy. As we shared in our earlier post, Find the Right Employees for Your Organization: Effective Recruitment Strategies for Talent Seekers, capturing the attention of top-tier talent from the start helps save time and reduce hiring costs.
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