If you hire a candidate based on a successful interview but never verify their employment history or speak to someone who has worked with them, you could be making an important decision with incomplete information.
A candidate may have the right qualifications and communicate confidently during an interview, but you still need to understand how they performed in previous roles. This is where reference checks come in.
For Nigerian employers, conducting proper reference checks helps confirm relevant employment information, gather insights into a candidate’s professional experience, and make more informed hiring decisions.
Here is how to conduct reference checks in Nigeria and avoid common mistakes during the process.
What Is a Reference Check?
A reference check involves contacting someone who can provide relevant information about a candidate’s professional experience, performance, or suitability for a role.
This person may be a former line manager, supervisor, or another professional who has worked closely with the candidate.
Reference checks differ from employment verification. Employment verification focuses on confirming details such as job titles, employment dates, and previous employers. Reference checks gather additional information about how a candidate performed and approached their responsibilities.
Both can form part of a structured pre-employment background verification process.
How to Conduct Reference Checks in Nigeria
1. Obtain the Candidate’s Consent
Before contacting a candidate’s referees, explain why you need the information and how it will support your recruitment process.
Obtain the necessary consent or authorisation where required, and clarify which referees you intend to contact.
You should also explain how the information will be handled and who may have access to it.
Some candidates may prefer that you do not contact their current employer until later in the recruitment process. This is a reasonable concern, particularly when their employer does not yet know they are exploring other opportunities.
Where possible, agree on an appropriate alternative, such as a previous employer or supervisor.
2. Choose the Right Referees
The quality of a reference check depends partly on whether the person you contact has direct knowledge of the candidate’s work.
Former line managers and supervisors can often provide useful information about a candidate’s responsibilities, work habits, and performance.
Before proceeding, confirm the referee’s identity, professional role, and relationship with the candidate.
Where possible, obtain contact details from an independently verified source, such as the organisation’s official website or a confirmed business contact.
Do not assume that every person listed as a referee can provide an objective or informed assessment. Establish their relationship with the candidate before relying on their feedback.
3. Ask Relevant Questions
A reference check should provide useful information about the candidate, not become an informal conversation based on personal opinions.
Prepare a consistent set of questions that relate to the requirements of the role.
You could ask:
What was your professional relationship with the candidate?
What were their main responsibilities?
How would you describe their performance?
What strengths did they demonstrate in the workplace?
How did they respond to feedback or challenging situations?
Would you work with them again? Why or why not?
These questions can help you understand the candidate’s previous work experience and professional approach.
Keep your questions relevant to the position. Avoid asking for unnecessary personal information or allowing unrelated opinions to influence your assessment.
4. Verify the Information Provided
A reference check should also help you establish whether the information supplied during recruitment is consistent with what the referee can confirm.
For example, if a candidate states that they worked as a team lead for three years, you can ask the referee to confirm their job title, employment period, and responsibilities, where the referee is authorised and able to provide that information.
Compare the responses with the candidate’s CV and application.
If you discover discrepancies, ask appropriate follow-up questions. An inconsistency does not automatically mean the candidate has been dishonest. It could result from an administrative error, a difference in job titles, or a misunderstanding about employment dates.
Investigate the facts before reaching a conclusion.
5. Document the Findings and Assess Them Fairly
Once you have completed the reference check, record the information received, the source, the date, and the outcome.
Distinguish between facts that have been confirmed and opinions expressed by the referee.
For example, confirmation that a candidate worked for a particular organisation is different from a manager’s opinion about their performance. Both may be useful, but they should not be treated as the same type of evidence.
If a reference raises a significant concern, consider its relevance to the role and give the candidate an opportunity to clarify material discrepancies where appropriate.
Reference checks should support your hiring decision alongside interviews, skills assessments, and other relevant background checks.
Common Mistakes to Avoid During Reference Checks
Even when employers understand the importance of reference checks, certain mistakes can reduce their reliability.
Relying entirely on the contact details provided by the candidate: Confirm the referee’s identity and professional relationship with the candidate before relying on the information received.
Asking vague questions: Use structured, job-related questions to gather information that can be assessed consistently across candidates.
Treating every negative comment as fact: Consider the source, context, and supporting evidence before allowing negative feedback to influence a hiring decision.
Ignoring privacy and confidentiality: Handle reference information securely and follow applicable data protection requirements. The Nigeria Data Protection Commission provides information on Nigeria’s data protection framework.
A proper reference check should be consistent, evidence-based, and respectful of both the candidate and the referee.
Simplify Reference Checks With 360 Verify
Conducting reference checks internally can require several steps, from confirming referees’ identities to asking relevant questions, following up on responses, and documenting the results.
For organisations hiring across multiple roles, managing this process can place additional demands on HR and recruitment teams.
360 Verify offers background verification services to help organisations approach candidate checks more systematically.
If your organisation wants to strengthen its pre-employment screening process, explore our Employment & Reference Check service to learn more about its verification offering.