Some HR pros might already be clutching their pearls. “But how will we know if a candidate is a good employee?”

Here’s the harsh truth—you didn’t know that before. Not even if you spoke to their last two or three managers. Because reference checks are a terrible indicator of future success.

Think of the worst hire you’ve ever made. Did their references give you any hint they’d be a problem? Probably not, or you wouldn’t have hired them.

References Are Rooted in Classist Bias

Before the Industrial Revolution, most people stayed near their hometowns. References were informal—word-of-mouth in the community. But as workforces became mobile, employers began issuing formal “letters of introduction,” often sealed with wax.¹

However, by the year 1800, still only about half the population could read, and most who could belonged to the upper class.² For the working class, not receiving a reference could mean unemployment, poverty, and starvation. References were used as a gatekeeping tool—one designed to uphold a deeply unequal system.

And somehow, centuries later, we’re still using them. 

The Modern World: Still Broken

We have better tools available to us now. We can run criminal record checks, credit reports, and verify credentials with little bias involved. So why are we still calling people we’ve never met and asking for their opinion on a candidate? Why are we trusting these strangers’ opinions more than the ones we have formed about a candidate, and how they will contribute to the organization?

And let’s not forget: the #1 reason people leave jobs is bad management. So, why are we relying on those very same managers to vouch for someone’s potential?

References Are Easy to Fake

It’s not 1957—you’re not calling an office landline anymore; you’re dialing someone’s cell phone. So, how do you know it’s really their former manager and not a friend posing as one? There are entire businesses that sell fake references. For example, William Schmidt founded CareerExcuse.com in 2009 and later launched WorkReferences.com, which still operates today.³ 

And it’s not just references you need to question. A 2023 ResumeLab study found 70% of people admitted to lying on their résumé at least once.?

If résumés are vulnerable, references are too.

Discrimination by Design

Many great candidates struggle to provide strong references for reasons that have nothing to do with skills or work ethic:

• Young people just entering the workforce.
• Newcomers to the country with limited accessible contacts.
• Parents or Adult Caregivers (which statistically is far more likely to be women who’ve taken time away from the workforce to care for others).⁵
• People whose former employers have shut down, relocated, or passed away.

And if someone hasn’t stayed in touch with every old boss, should that really be a dealbreaker?

References Kill Risk-Taking

I once interviewed a candidate who brought his work boots in a backpack—ready to start immediately. Passionate, eager, and clearly hungry for the role.

But one of his references trashed him—harshly and personally. I still believed in him, but the company passed. 

We had a probation period. We could’ve taken the chance. We didn’t—because one former manager said no. It’s a “what if” that I still think about.

So How Do We Hire Without References?

You’re not guaranteed a great hire, but you never were. References aren’t foolproof; they are just comfortable. Instead of chasing voicemails from someone’s old boss, try this:

1. Rethink the Entire Hiring Process

If you’ve read my pieces on ditching résumés and reinventing interviews, you know the deal: stop relying on polish and start assessing people. Use applications with value-based questions. Incorporate job simulations. Finally, design interviews that reflect real team dynamics—not canned answers.

2. Replace the Reference with a Real Test

Need strong communication skills? Ask the candidate to write a one-page reflection on how they see themselves fitting into your team. Need attention to detail? Give them a flawed document to edit.

Give them a challenge they can control: something relevant, revealing, and real.

3. Use the Probation Period—Properly

Don’t wait until week 11 of a 12-week probation to evaluate someone. Start on day one. Coach early, give feedback, and make decisions based on their behavior. Base your judgements on how someone shows up now—not who they used to report to.

4. Finally, Don’t be Afraid to Take a Chance

Every new hire is a risk and references can’t remove that. But sometimes, a chance pays off. At best, you may discover your next star employee. At worst, you use the Probationary Period to course correct.

Voicemail Isn’t a Vetting Tool

Reference checks are outdated, biased, and easy to manipulate. They harm jobseekers and lull hiring teams into false confidence.

And here’s the kicker: more and more companies are refusing to provide references altogether, largely to avoid legal liability. But it’s a blessing in disguise. The fewer references given, the fewer will be expected—and the faster we can move on from a practice that no longer serves anyone.

It’s time to leave reference checks where they belong: 

In the past.

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¹Kinatico’s Workforce Compliance Solutions. (2017, January 10). Check this out: The history of reference checks. Kinatico’s Workforce Compliance Solutions. https://cvcheck.com/articles/check-this-out-the-history-of-reference-checks/

² Lloyd, A. (2007). Education, Literacy and the Reading Public. British Library Newspapers. https://www.gale.com/intl/essays/amy-j-lloyd-education-literacy-reading-public

³ Adams, S. (2013, December 20). This Man’s Business Is Providing Fake Job Histories And References. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/susanadams/2013/12/20/this-mans-business-is-providing-fake-job-histories-and-references/; https://www.workreferences.com

⁴ Robinson, B. (2023, November 5). 70% Of Workers Lie On Resumes, New Study Shows.  Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/bryanrobinson/2023/11/05/70-of-workers-lie-on-resumes-new-study-shows/?utm_source=chatgpt.com

⁵ Statistics Canada. (2023, January 5). More than half of women in Canada are caregivers. Statistics Canada. https://www.statcan.gc.ca/o1/en/plus/2649-more-half-women-canada-are-caregivers

Heather Corbett, CPHR, SHRM-SCP is an HR Coordinator, working for a private college in Vancouver. Her passions within the field of HR are employee training & development, recruitment, and employee management. If you would like to connect, please message her on LinkedIn.