Search committee reference checks: a practical guide

References tend to arrive at the end of a faculty search, after the campus visits, when the committee has the least time to read them. Without a plan they become a formality: a few phone calls, notes in different hands, and a chair summarizing from memory the night before the meeting.

A little structure set up early changes that. This guide walks through the reference stage of a faculty or staff search in order: when to check, consent, who to contact, what to ask and how to bring the answers to the committee.

Letters of recommendation are not reference checks

Many faculty searches ask for letters of recommendation with the application. Letters are written for the candidate, often for several positions at once, and say what the writer chooses to say. A reference check asks the committee’s own questions, about this position, of people who know the candidate’s work. Letters help a committee build a long list; reference checks help it choose between finalists. Letters of recommendation vs. reference checks shows how to use both.

When to check references

• At the finalist stage. Checking references for every applicant wastes references’ goodwill and committee time. Many searches check finalists after campus visits, or the leading one or two candidates before an offer.
• Before the offer, not after. A reference that raises a question is far easier to act on before an offer is made.
• On a known schedule. Tell candidates early in the search when references will be contacted, so nobody is surprised and current employers are not alerted too soon.

When to check references in a faculty search compares the timing options and their tradeoffs.

Get the candidate’s consent first

Contact references only with the candidate’s agreement, and record that agreement before the first request goes out. A candidate may not have told their current institution that they are on the market, and an unexpected call can damage their position there.

The same applies to references the candidate did not list, sometimes called off-list or back-channel references. If the committee wants to speak with someone beyond the list, ask the candidate first and give them the chance to respond. Penn State’s faculty affairs guidance, for example, allows off-list references only with the candidate’s permission, and George Washington University asks candidates to authorize both listed and additional references. Practice varies between institutions, so follow yours, and tell candidates what it is before the search reaches them. Reference checks vs. background checks covers consent for each.

Who to ask

Three references per finalist is a common standard, and Penn State’s guidance asks for at least three. What matters more is that, between them, they have seen the parts of the work the position calls for.

• A current or recent supervisor, such as a department chair or dean, who can speak to performance and conduct.
• Someone who has seen the candidate teach, if teaching is a large part of the role.
• A research collaborator, ideally from outside the candidate’s own lab or group.
• For leadership roles, someone the candidate has supervised. How a chair or director treats the people who report to them rarely shows up in letters.

Ask the candidate for these roles rather than for "three references". You will get references who can answer your questions instead of the three who are easiest to ask.

Decide who makes contact

One person should own the reference stage for each search, usually the committee chair or a staff member in HR or the department. A single owner means every reference gets the same request, the same questions and the same deadline, and the candidate has one person to ask about progress.

If committee members each call a reference, give them the same written questions and a place to record the answers word for word. Otherwise the committee compares notes, not references.

What to ask

Write the questions from the position description and ask every reference for every finalist the same set. Pair a rating with a request for an example, so the committee sees both the judgment and the reason for it. Our faculty reference check questions are a starting point, grouped by teaching, research, service and leadership.

Keep the set short. Eight to ten focused questions get fuller answers than twenty, and a reference who knows the questions will take ten minutes is more likely to answer this week. For a chair or dean search, start from the question sets for department chairs and deans.

Phone calls, email or an online form

Phone calls allow follow-up questions but depend on two calendars and leave notes in whatever form the caller keeps. Written answers through an online form are slower to probe but consistent, comparable and already documented. Many committees use written answers for every reference and a call only where an answer needs following up. The tradeoffs are laid out in phone vs. online reference checks.

Bring the answers to the committee

The committee should see the references in a form that makes finalists comparable, without losing what each reference actually said.

• One packet per finalist, with each reference’s relationship to the candidate stated at the top of their answers.
• Answers grouped by competency, so teaching sits with teaching and research with research across references.
• Ratings kept next to examples. A score without its reason invites the committee to argue about the number.
• The record of the process: when consent was given, when each request went out and when each answer came back.

Lock the packet once the committee has it. If a reference adds something later, add it as a dated addition rather than editing what the committee already read.

A one-week timeline

The reference check email templates match these steps, from the request to the candidate through the final reminder.

After the decision

• Thank every reference. The same people will be asked again by your colleagues.
• Tell the candidate where things stand, without sharing what any reference said.
• Keep the record. Federal regulations require colleges and universities to keep employment records for at least two years, and until final disposition if a discrimination charge is filed. Your institution may require longer. Store the packet with the search file and limit who can open it.

None of this needs special software. It needs consent before contact, the same questions for everyone and a single owner. Software makes those three habits the default rather than something each chair has to remember.

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.