References are a valuable tool employers can use to evaluate job candidates and gather details that may not be provided by candidates themselves. You may choose to request both professional and personal references, but knowing how to take advantage of the information they unlock is critical. 

References provide employers and hiring managers an opportunity to learn a little more about potential employees and how they have performed and interacted with coworkers. They can offer details to help you figure out if a candidate exhibits such qualities as:

• Responsibility
• Cooperativeness
• Reliability
• Honesty
• Other valuable qualities

References are normally either professional (work-related) or personal (not work-related) but should not generally include a candidate's family members.

Professional references are those which are specifically related to the knowledge a colleague or supervisor has from working in a professional capacity with a job candidate. These references can aid in:

• Verifying work history
• Determining the scope of job responsibilities
• Evaluating leadership and teamwork skills
• Gauging a candidate's work ethic

Personal references may be provided by a variety of individuals connected to a candidate, including:

• Friends from work
• Volunteer work associates
• Religious connections
• School friends and teachers 

These references can offer a unique glimpse into a potential employee's personality, helping you create a more complete picture of a potential hire. 

Of course, employers should contact both professional and personal references for all job candidates under serious consideration for a position. For best results, we recommend preparing a set of questions for both categories of references, in order to gather the most useful and valuable information to inform your search.