Faculty reference check questions, by competency

Good reference questions are specific, tied to the job and the same for every finalist. "What are their strengths?" invites a kind paragraph that does not help a committee choose. A question that asks for an example, a comparison or a rating gives the committee something it can weigh.

The questions below are grouped by the competencies campus searches usually weigh. Pick the groups that match the position, then keep the set short enough that a busy reference finishes it.

How to use this question bank

• Choose six to ten questions. More than that and answers get thinner toward the end. Two or three per competency is plenty.
• Mix ratings and examples. A rating makes references comparable; an example tells the committee why the rating was given. Pair them.
• Ask every reference the same set. Different questions for different finalists make the comparison unfair and the summary harder to write.
• Write questions from the position description. If the role is mostly teaching, most questions should be about teaching.
• Offer "not able to judge". A reference who did not see someone teach should be able to say so rather than guess.

Start with the relationship

Every set should open with context. The committee needs to know how well the reference knows the work before it can weigh the answers.

• How do you know the candidate, and in what role? Were you their supervisor, a colleague, a collaborator or a student?
• How long did you work together, and how recently?
• Which parts of their work did you see directly, and which do you know about from others?

Teaching and mentoring

• Describe a course or session the candidate taught that you know well. What did students gain from it?
• How does the candidate respond to student feedback? Please give an example of a change they made.
• How have they supported students who were struggling, or students from backgrounds new to the institution?
• How have they mentored graduate or undergraduate students, and what came of it?
• Compared with others at a similar career stage, how would you rate their teaching? (rating)

Research and scholarship

• How would you describe the significance of the candidate’s research in their field?
• What parts of the work you know did they lead, and what did they contribute to?
• How have they sought funding, built collaborations or shared their work beyond publication, where that applies to the field?
• Where do you expect their research to be in five years, and what would they need to get there?
• Compared with others at a similar career stage, how would you rate their scholarship? (rating)

Service, collaboration and collegiality

• What has the candidate contributed to department or institutional service? Please describe one contribution in detail.
• Describe a time they worked with a colleague who disagreed with them. What did they do?
• How do they share credit and workload on a team?
• How would you rate their collaboration with colleagues and staff? (rating)

Leadership, for chairs, directors and deans

• Describe a decision the candidate made that was unpopular. How did they explain it, and what happened next?
• How do they build trust with faculty, staff and students who report to them?
• How have they managed a budget, a hiring process or a change in how a unit works?
• Tell us about a time they had to address a performance problem. How did they handle it?
• How would you rate their judgment under pressure? (rating)

For a leadership search, the question sets for department chairs and deans go further, with the references to ask and the warning signs to follow up.

Staff roles: reliability, communication and judgment

• How reliable is the candidate with deadlines and commitments? Please give an example.
• How do they communicate with students, faculty and members of the public, especially when the news is unwelcome?
• How do they handle confidential information and records?
• Describe a time they spotted a problem before it grew. What did they do?
• How would you rate their overall effectiveness in the role you saw? (rating)

The question library has sets written for campus staff roles too, such as academic advisors and student affairs professionals, and for adjunct faculty.

Close with three questions

• Given the chance, would you hire or work with the candidate again? Why or why not?
• What kind of support would help them do their best work here?
• Is there anything else about their work or professional conduct the committee should know?

The first question is direct on purpose. A hesitant answer to it often tells a committee more than the rest of the reference, and it is worth a follow-up call if the written answer is vague.

A rating scale the committee can compare

A rating only helps if every reference reads the scale the same way. Describe each point in words, anchor it to the reference’s own experience and keep the scale identical across finalists.

Scores turn into evidence only when they sit next to the reasons. When you summarize for the committee, keep each rating with the example the reference gave for it. Structured reference checks covers how to score and compare answers across finalists.

Questions to leave out

A reference check is part of the hiring process, so the rules that apply to interview questions apply here too. The EEOC says pre-employment questions should be limited to what is essential for judging qualifications, and that questions which could reveal characteristics such as race, sex, national origin, disability, age or religion should generally be avoided. Under the ADA, its guidance adds that before an offer an employer may not ask a third party, such as a former employer, anything it could not ask the candidate directly.

• Age, race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability or genetic information
• Health, medical leave or workers’ compensation history
• Pregnancy, marital status, children or plans for a family
• Anything the reference could only answer by guessing
• Leading questions such as "You would agree they are an excellent teacher?"

Keep every question tied to the work in the position description, and ask it of every reference. If a question would be inappropriate in an interview, leave it out of the reference check.

Putting it together

A useful set for a faculty search might be three relationship questions, two teaching questions, two research questions, one collaboration question and the three closing questions: eleven in all, most answerable in a sentence or two. Send it in a request that says how long it takes and when it is due, and every finalist’s references will answer the same questions on the same scale.

This article is general information for campus hiring teams, not legal advice. Confirm the requirements that apply to your institution with your counsel or HR policy office.