1. Plan ahead and determine what it is that you need to know about the candidate. Keep in mind that the questions that you ask should focus on the candidates' work experience and interpersonal skills.

2. Determine who is the best person to provide you with the reference information that you will need in order to make a final decision as to whether or not to hire a candidate. Do you really need to obtain a job reference from your candidate's friend, a work colleague, or a former teacher if these individuals aren't able to share any pertinent information about your candidate's job performance?

A good rule of thumb is to always obtain references from at least 2 people who are in a position of authority over the person that you're hiring. Insist on references from current or past supervisors who can speak to the person's overall skill set and job performance as well as a reference that can speak to the candidate's ability to work across departments, teams, or with various clients and customers.

3. How many references do you need?

I recommend obtaining a minimum of 2 business references and up to 4 references as appropriate. Two of the job references should be from the candidates' current and past supervisor.

4. Ask permission to check references with your job applicant and be clear with the applicant as to what types of references that you will need.

Now that you've taken a few minutes to think about the references that you'll need to make your hiring decision, you don't want to leave it up to your job applicant to give you a list of references that may not be helpful to you.

Be transparent and let the candidate know how many references you will need to speak with before you can make a final decision, and when the candidate can expect to hear back from you.