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Reference Checks ‐ Frequently Asked Questions
Q: As a hiring manager, I’ve identified a survey that is almost a perfect fit for my vacant
position. May I add additional questions to the survey?
A: Adding questions to a survey is not advised. The surveys are built to be scientifically valid
and meet strict fairness and other regulatory guidelines. Additional questions added to a
survey will affect all departments utilizing the survey as they cannot be added for only one
department. The process to validate additional questions can take up to six weeks and
requested questions may not be approved.
Q: Can I request changes to a survey if I feel that there are too many questions or not enough
of the correct questions?
A: Hiring managers may not make changes to the surveys. The survey questions are developed
by Skill Survey’s team of industrial and organizational psychologists who have done a great
deal of research and study into which behaviors are associated with success. These behavioral
questions go through reliability testing and validity tests. There is always a mix of questions so
that the reports include a sufficient number of questions in each of the standard four clusters:
Professionalism, Interpersonal Skills, Problem Solving, and Personal Values. The reference
check is not designed to assess technical skills; this should be done during the interview
process.
Q: Are there surveys for senior level positions?
A: Yes. Behaviors for success in senior level positions are different than those in professional
and technical roles. These surveys include questions on management and leadership, and, in
addition to the four standard clusters, the responses for senior positions are displayed in two
additional clusters: Leadership and Managing Others. Validation studies have shown that
senior level surveys are also very effective at predicting success.
Q: How long will it take for references to complete a typical survey?
A: In general, it takes a reference about 10 minutes to complete the survey. It might take
longer if the reference spends a lot of time on the open ended questions regarding three areas
of strength and three areas where the person could improve. According to Skill Survey, many
references have reported that they much prefer Skill Survey to a phone reference because the
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process takes less time and they can complete the survey on their own time, and even on their
smart phones.
Q: Who pays for the Skill Survey reference check and how much does it cost?
A: The hiring department pays for the reference check. The cost to complete reference checks
for one job candidate is $21.
Q: As a hiring manager, may I see the results of the reference checks?
A: Yes, there is a report called the Hiring Manager’s Summary which will be sent to you from
HR. If you have questions regarding the results, please contact your Talent Acquisition
Partner or HR representative for assistance. For confidentiality reasons, the summary is
intended for hiring manager only and should not be broadly distributed.
Q: I would like to contact additional references by phone and reach out to one of the
references who submitted a response via Skill Survey. Are there any issues with doing so?
A: Because the references are assured their input is not personally identifiable, hiring managers
should not contact those references directly. If there is a situation where you would like for
more references to participate, it is recommended you ask the candidate to add more
references to their Skill Survey site. Candidates can add more at any time.
Q: Is there a minimum number of responses that are required in order for the results to be
meaningful?
A: Candidates are required to input at least 5 references, including at least 2 supervisors. A
summary report is available when at least 3 responses are received, including at least 1
supervisor.
Q: How does utilizing Skill Survey to conduct reference checks provide a better result and
predict success on the job versus my conducting references on my own?
A: Skill Survey has done 11 validity studies to confirm that Skill Survey is predictive and will help
identify candidates more likely to turnover.
