How to Run a Reference Check That Actually Tells You Something: A Playbook for Construction and Facilities Leadership Searches
Reference checks for VP and Director-level construction and facilities searches are almost universally treated as a formality: three calls, each fifteen minutes, each confirming that the candidate was employed, was well-regarded, and left on good terms. These calls produce no information that was not already available from the resume, and the organization proceeds to the offer having learned nothing from the reference process. The problem is not that reference checks are inherently uninformative. It is that most organizations approach them as a verification exercise rather than as a substantive evaluation tool, and they get verification rather than insight as a result.
This playbook covers how to design and conduct reference checks for construction and facilities leadership candidates that actually surface the information needed to make a confident hiring decision and to set the new hire up for success in the role.
Before You Make the Calls
Select References Who Can Speak to the Right Things
The first step in an effective reference process is controlling who you speak with. A candidate-provided reference list of three former supervisors who are known to be supportive is not a complete reference strategy. It is a starting point. For a VP of Facilities or Director of Construction search, the reference process should include at minimum: one reference who can speak to the candidate’s technical project management or facilities operations performance, one who can speak to their leadership and team management, and one who can speak to how they managed a difficult situation, a project that went wrong, a stakeholder conflict, or a budget problem that required recovery. If the candidate cannot provide references who can speak to each of those dimensions, that is itself information worth noting.
For senior searches, back-channel references, conversations with people who know the candidate’s work but are not on the provided reference list, are often more informative than the formal list. A search firm with domain expertise in construction and facilities can typically identify two or three people in the market who have worked with or managed the finalist candidate and can provide an independent perspective. Organizations that limit their reference process to the provided list consistently get a less complete picture than those that supplement it with back-channel conversations.
Prepare the Questions Before the Call
The reference questions should be prepared in advance and should map directly to the critical requirements identified at the beginning of the search. If the role’s most important requirement is managing a major capital program through delivery, the reference questions should include at least one that asks the reference to describe specifically how the candidate performed in that dimension. Generic questions, such as “How would you describe the candidate’s leadership style?” produce generic answers. Specific questions, such as “Can you describe how [candidate] managed the GC relationship on the [specific project] and how they handled the change order dispute that came up mid-project?” produce specific answers, and specific answers are what make reference checks useful.
The Reference Call Structure
Open With Context, Not With Questions
Begin each reference call by providing enough context about the role to allow the reference to frame their comments productively. Tell the reference what the role involves, what the organization is trying to accomplish, and what the two or three most critical requirements are for the hire. This is not just courtesy. It is strategy. A reference who knows what the role requires can calibrate their comments accordingly, which produces more relevant information than a reference who is answering abstract questions about a candidate without knowing what context they will be operating in. It also gives the reference an opportunity to say, early in the conversation, that the role sounds like a strong fit or that there are dimensions of the role that might stretch the candidate, which is information that would not surface from a standard reference call.
Ask About Specific Situations, Not General Qualities
The most productive reference questions are behavioral: they ask the reference to describe a specific situation rather than to characterize the candidate in general terms. “How would you describe [candidate] as a leader?” invites a rehearsed positive answer. “Can you describe a situation where [candidate] had to manage a significant budget overrun on a capital project and how they handled it?” forces the reference to either recall a specific event or acknowledge that they cannot. References who struggle to produce specific examples for the critical role requirements are telling you something important about the depth of the candidate’s experience in those areas, even if they are genuinely supportive of the candidate overall.
The Question Most Reference Callers Skip
The single most productive reference question that most callers skip is some version of: “What would you tell [candidate] to work on if they wanted to continue developing as a leader?” This question is less threatening to references than “What are their weaknesses?” and produces more honest answers than “Is there anything that would give you pause about this hire?” References who answer this question thoughtfully and specifically are giving you real information about the candidate’s development edges. References who deflect the question or pivot to restating the candidate’s strengths are also giving you information, of a different kind.
Close With the Rehire Question
Every reference call should end with: “If you had an opening that was a strong fit for [candidate], would you rehire them?” The yes or no is less important than what follows it. A reference who answers “absolutely yes” and then explains why, specifically and enthusiastically, is a strong positive signal. A reference who answers “yes, if the situation was right” and hedges or qualifies in a way that trails off is a weaker signal. A reference who pauses before answering or who immediately pivots to a qualification is telling you something. These signals are subtle and they take practice to read, but they are more reliable than the factual content of most reference calls because they are harder to prepare for in advance.
After the Calls: How to Use What You Learned
The reference information should be synthesized and presented to the hiring decision-maker before the offer is extended, not filed away as a compliance record. The synthesis should cover: what was confirmed that aligns with the evaluation process, what new information was surfaced that was not apparent from the interviews, and whether any reference conversation produced a signal that warrants a follow-up conversation with the candidate before the offer is made. If a reference surfaced a concern that is relevant to how the candidate will perform in the role, the right response is a direct, specific conversation with the candidate about that concern rather than either ignoring it or pulling the offer. Those conversations, handled well, often strengthen the hiring decision by giving the candidate an opportunity to address the concern on their own terms.
Real8 Group includes reference strategy in our search process for VP and Director-level construction, facilities, and real estate leadership searches. To learn how we approach candidate evaluation end-to-end, visit real8group.com/how-we-work or real8group.com/finding-talent, or reach out at real8group.com/contact.
Real8 Group is a specialized executive search firm serving the real estate, construction, engineering, and facilities operations sectors across the U.S.