# Executive reference interviewer script Candidate identifier: ____________________ Target role: ____________________ Interviewer: ____________________ Interview date: ____________________ Reference relationship: ____________________ Period worked together: ____________________ Candidate permission recorded on: ____________________ Approved contact scope and restrictions: ____________________ Current employer contact separately authorized? ____________________ Job criteria being tested: ____________________ ## Before contact Record the candidate's permission for this named contact, the timing, and the scope. Do not contact a current employer without explicit, separate permission. If permission is missing, pause and agree an alternative with the candidate. Use the same core criteria for comparable candidates; select relevant questions based on the reference's actual working relationship. Do not seek backchannel opinions, private records, protected-trait information, or salary history. ## Opening script "Thank you for speaking with me. The candidate has permitted this conversation about their work in relation to the role described. We are assessing these job-related criteria: ____________________. Please share only firsthand work examples, not confidential business information or personal details. How and when did you work together, and which responsibilities did you observe directly?" Relationship and scope notes: ____________________ Context, resources, and constraints: ____________________ Limits on firsthand knowledge: ____________________ ## Question sets ### Former manager 1. What outcomes did the candidate personally own, and what resources and constraints shaped delivery? Situation and date: ____________________ Observed behavior: ____________________ Outcome and candidate's contribution: ____________________ Relevant job criterion: ____________________ Evidence limitations or follow-up: ____________________ 2. Describe a difficult decision they made. What alternatives did they consider and what happened? Situation and date: ____________________ Observed behavior: ____________________ Outcome and candidate's contribution: ____________________ Relevant job criterion: ____________________ Evidence limitations or follow-up: ____________________ 3. When did you give corrective feedback, and what observable behavior changed afterward? Situation and date: ____________________ Observed behavior: ____________________ Outcome and candidate's contribution: ____________________ Relevant job criterion: ____________________ Evidence limitations or follow-up: ____________________ 4. For the proposed role's scope, where would they need support? What experience supports that view? Situation and date: ____________________ Observed behavior: ____________________ Outcome and candidate's contribution: ____________________ Relevant job criterion: ____________________ Evidence limitations or follow-up: ____________________ ### Peer 1. Describe a cross-functional disagreement. How did the candidate resolve it and share accountability? Situation and date: ____________________ Observed behavior: ____________________ Outcome and candidate's contribution: ____________________ Relevant job criterion: ____________________ Evidence limitations or follow-up: ____________________ 2. What commitments did they make to your team, and how reliably did they deliver? Situation and date: ____________________ Observed behavior: ____________________ Outcome and candidate's contribution: ____________________ Relevant job criterion: ____________________ Evidence limitations or follow-up: ____________________ 3. How did they communicate a trade-off involving budget, priorities, or operational risk? Situation and date: ____________________ Observed behavior: ____________________ Outcome and candidate's contribution: ____________________ Relevant job criterion: ____________________ Evidence limitations or follow-up: ____________________ 4. When a shared initiative struggled, what did they do and what was the result? Situation and date: ____________________ Observed behavior: ____________________ Outcome and candidate's contribution: ____________________ Relevant job criterion: ____________________ Evidence limitations or follow-up: ____________________ ### Direct report 1. How did the candidate set priorities and explain what good performance looked like? Situation and date: ____________________ Observed behavior: ____________________ Outcome and candidate's contribution: ____________________ Relevant job criterion: ____________________ Evidence limitations or follow-up: ____________________ 2. Describe feedback or coaching that changed your work. What specifically helped or hindered? Situation and date: ____________________ Observed behavior: ____________________ Outcome and candidate's contribution: ____________________ Relevant job criterion: ____________________ Evidence limitations or follow-up: ____________________ 3. How did they respond when you raised a concern or challenged a decision? Situation and date: ____________________ Observed behavior: ____________________ Outcome and candidate's contribution: ____________________ Relevant job criterion: ____________________ Evidence limitations or follow-up: ____________________ 4. How did they delegate decisions and develop other leaders? Give an observable example. Situation and date: ____________________ Observed behavior: ____________________ Outcome and candidate's contribution: ____________________ Relevant job criterion: ____________________ Evidence limitations or follow-up: ____________________ ### Board member 1. How did the candidate connect strategy to operating milestones and report progress? Situation and date: ____________________ Observed behavior: ____________________ Outcome and candidate's contribution: ____________________ Relevant job criterion: ____________________ Evidence limitations or follow-up: ____________________ 2. Describe how they disclosed a material risk or missed target to the board. Situation and date: ____________________ Observed behavior: ____________________ Outcome and candidate's contribution: ____________________ Relevant job criterion: ____________________ Evidence limitations or follow-up: ____________________ 3. How did they handle disagreement with directors while respecting governance boundaries? Situation and date: ____________________ Observed behavior: ____________________ Outcome and candidate's contribution: ____________________ Relevant job criterion: ____________________ Evidence limitations or follow-up: ____________________ 4. What evidence demonstrated capital allocation judgment and leadership-bench development? Situation and date: ____________________ Observed behavior: ____________________ Outcome and candidate's contribution: ____________________ Relevant job criterion: ____________________ Evidence limitations or follow-up: ____________________ ## Follow-up probes for every relationship - What did you personally observe, rather than hear from others? - What was the team, business stage, and decision-making scope at that time? - What changed after the action, and what other factors contributed? - Can you describe a counterexample or a circumstance where this differed? Additional notes: ____________________ ## Closing script "Is there another firsthand work example relevant to these responsibilities that we have not discussed? Thank you. We will use this information within our restricted hiring review process." Do not promise absolute confidentiality, anonymity, or a hiring outcome. Agreed clarification needed: ____________________ ## Reconciliation and decision record Criterion: ____________________ Supporting firsthand example and date: ____________________ Contradictory example and date: ____________________ Context differences: ____________________ Candidate clarification, without exposing another person's private details: ____________________ Remaining uncertainty: ____________________ Evidence-based assessment (supported / mixed / insufficient): ____________________ Decision rationale and reviewer: ____________________ Next action and owner: ____________________ Review date: ____________________ Retention/deletion owner and applicable policy: ____________________ ## Compliance checkpoint An employer's direct reference conversation and a third-party consumer report are not automatically the same process. A screening provider's report may trigger Fair Credit Reporting Act requirements and other applicable rules. Consult qualified counsel about the actual arrangement, notices, authorization, adverse-action procedures, and jurisdiction-specific obligations. This template is general hiring guidance, not legal advice or a compliance guarantee.