Reference checks that actually tell you something
Most reference calls are a formality. A few well-aimed questions turn them into the most useful 10 minutes of the hire.
Skip HR. Talk to former supervisors.
The candidate's old boss will tell you more in five minutes than a corporate reference line ever will. Ask the candidate for direct numbers, not generic contacts.
Ask the silence question
'Would you hire them again?' The answer matters less than the pause before it. Hesitation is the signal.
Verify the boring stuff
Dates of employment, role, reason for leaving. If any of those don't match the resume, everything else they told you is suspect.
Take your version of this question further
This is one operator-tested angle on the question. Your shop, your size, your trade, and your team change the answer. Ask your specific version inside Ask a Shop Owner to get a response grounded in how owners like you actually handled it.