Hiring a tradesperson? Here are reference check questions that actually test the work
Call a former employer and ask "did they work here, and were they any good?" and you will usually get a yes and a polite "no issues". That confirms almost nothing about whether a tradesperson can read a drawing, work unsupervised or follow safety procedure on your site. The questions below are built to get a site supervisor or foreman talking about specific jobs, not general impressions, so you can tell a strong hire from a risky one before you offer the role.
Why generic reference checks fall flat for trades
A trade CV can list licences, tickets and years of experience, but none of that shows how someone actually works on a real job: how they handle a fault no one has seen before, how closely they need to be supervised, or how they react when a job runs behind schedule. A supervisor who worked alongside the candidate day to day can answer that in a few minutes, but only if you ask about specific situations instead of general character.
Fair process matters too. An odd gap in dates or a short stint at one site is a question to ask, not proof of a problem, and a candidate's former manager may simply have moved on or be hard to reach, especially after a company closes or a candidate has worked abroad.
The questions below are grouped so you can run through them in a few minutes on the phone, or send a short written list when a call is not practical. Keep the same list for every candidate applying to the same role, so the answers you get are easy to compare side by side rather than shaped by whatever happened to come up in each conversation.
Before you call: what to have ready
- The exact role title, site type and dates from the candidate's CV, so you can check them against what the referee describes.
- Two or three specific projects or jobs you want the referee to talk about, if the candidate has named any.
- The licence, ticket or qualification the role needs, so you can ask whether the referee saw it used on site.
- A consistent list of questions for every candidate in the role, so you are comparing like with like.
What to ask a former site supervisor
Scope of the role
- "What was their job title, and what did that actually involve day to day on your sites?"
- "Which parts of the job did they handle on their own, and which needed a more experienced tradesperson checking their work?"
- "Can you describe one job or project they worked on, from start to finish?"
Standards and safety
- "Did they hold the licence or ticket this role needs, and did you see it used correctly on site?"
- "Tell me about a time their work didn't meet standard. What happened, and did it happen again?"
- "How did they handle site safety procedure when no one was watching?"
Working with others
- "How did they take direction from a supervisor, and how did they work with apprentices or labourers under them?"
- "Was there ever a conflict with a client, another trade or a colleague? How was it resolved?"
The rehire question
- "If you had a suitable role open tomorrow, would you hire them again? Why or why not?"
Example call opening: "Thanks for taking the time. I'm checking a reference for [name], who says they worked with you as a [role] on [site/project] from [dates]. Is that your understanding too?" Starting with a fact the referee can simply confirm or correct makes the rest of the call easier for both of you.
Who can actually answer each question
| Referee type | What they can usually confirm | What they usually cannot |
|---|---|---|
| Site supervisor or foreman who worked alongside the candidate | Day-to-day skill, independence, safety habits, specific jobs | Formal HR records such as exact pay or disciplinary history |
| Company HR or payroll office | Job title and employment dates, sometimes a dates-only policy | Anything about how the person actually works on site |
| Client or project manager from a specific job | Quality and reliability on that one project | General conduct across the whole employment, or site safety habits |
Common mistakes employers make in trade reference checks
- Asking only yes/no questions. "Were they reliable?" invites a one-word answer; "tell me about a time they weren't" invites a useful one.
- Calling only HR. A payroll office that confirms dates only cannot tell you anything about the actual work; ask the candidate for the supervisor's direct details too.
- Treating a short stint or employment gap as proof of a problem. Ask about it plainly and let the explanation stand or fall on its own.
- Skipping the licence check. A reference call is a natural moment to confirm a referee actually saw the ticket or qualification being used.
- Not writing anything down. A short note of what each referee said, in their own words where you can, is far easier to compare later than a memory of how the call felt.
- Rushing the call to tick a box. A reference check done in two minutes right before an offer rarely surfaces anything useful; building it into your process earlier gives you time to follow up on anything vague.
Frequently asked questions
How many referees should I check for a trades hire?
Two is usually enough for most roles: ideally a direct supervisor from the most recent job and one from an earlier one, so you can compare how the pattern holds over time.
What if the candidate's former employer has closed down?
Ask the candidate for a site supervisor's or project manager's personal contact instead of the company's, or for other proof such as a pay record or project photos; a closed company is common in trades and is not itself a red flag.
Can I ask about pay in a reference check?
Only if it is directly relevant and the candidate has given permission; many referees will not discuss pay at all, and some companies have a policy of confirming only dates and title.
What if two referees give different stories about the same job?
Go back to the candidate with the specific difference and let them respond before you decide; a vague employment gap explained clearly is very different from a contradiction about the work itself.
Does checking a candidate's profile replace calling a referee myself?
No. A verified profile can show a referee's name and role next to the work history entry, which helps you prepare better questions, but speaking to that person yourself is still how you test the specific answers above.
Looking at a candidate's profile before you call can save time: a Talent Tabloid profile lists the referee's name and role alongside each work history entry, so you know who to ask for before you pick up the phone. Search for a candidate by name or username on People Search, or create an employer account to search the full candidate database, compare shortlisted tradespeople side by side and message them directly. See what else the dashboard offers for hiring on the employer page, and for more on testing trade experience specifically, read 5 checks that show whether a tradesperson's experience is real.
