Use references to learn about the work an AE did over time. A general “great salesperson” answer tells you little about the job you need filled.
Bring a short description of your role and the questions still open after interviews. Ask for direct examples. Keep a reference's limits visible instead of filling the gaps yourself.
Set up the call properly
Ask the candidate for permission and suitable professional references through your normal hiring process. Agree on whom you can contact. Do not call the current employer without permission.
Explain the purpose of the conversation and the kind of work the role involves. Keep questions job-related. If the reference's company limits disclosure, accept that boundary.
The U.S. Office of Personnel Management's reference-checking guidance supports a structured approach. The questions below are our practical AE prompts. They are not a legal compliance checklist.
Start with the working relationship
- How did you work with the candidate, and during what period?
- Which parts of their selling work did you observe directly?
- What were they responsible for, and what did other team members own?
These answers determine how much weight to give the rest of the call. A peer can describe collaboration without knowing the commission plan. A former manager can know results without observing every customer call.
Write down the boundary. “Did not observe prospecting” is different from “observed poor prospecting.”
Ask about selling work and results
| Question | What to learn |
|---|---|
| What buyer and customer segment did the candidate serve? | Relevance to your opening |
| Where did their opportunities come from? | Prospecting versus inherited pipeline |
| What results did you directly review? | Measurement basis and period |
| What changed in the territory or support during that period? | Context behind the numbers |
| Can you describe a deal where their judgment helped? | A concrete contribution |
| Can you describe a deal that went poorly and what they did next? | Response to a setback |
Ask for ranges or anonymized examples where necessary. Do not request confidential customer lists, contracts, or internal reports.
A result needs context. A seller can work well in a poor territory, and a strong territory can help a seller. Use the reference to understand what the rep controlled.
Ask about coaching and handoffs
- What feedback did you give them, and what changed afterward?
- How did they keep the team informed when a deal was at risk?
- What did implementation or customer success receive after a sale?
- What support helped them do their best work?
- What would you tell the next manager to pay attention to early?
Ask for examples before turning an answer into a character judgment. A different management style can affect the working relationship. Your job is to understand what happened and whether your team can support the hire.
Do not treat hesitation, a short answer, or a reference's tone as proof of a problem. The person can be busy, cautious, or limited by policy.
Follow up on the gap from the interview
Choose one or two unresolved questions from the hiring scorecard. Keep the wording neutral.
For example: “Our role includes creating pipeline in a new territory. What prospecting work did you see this person do?” This asks about the job without telling the reference which answer you want.
If the reference did not see that work, record it as unknown. Choose another permitted source or use a job-related exercise. Do not penalize the candidate because one person cannot answer.
Write a useful call summary
Use this structure immediately after the conversation:
Relationship and period: [how the reference knows the candidate]
Direct observations: [specific work and examples]
Relevant results: [measure, period, and context]
Limits: [what the reference did not observe or could not discuss]
Open question: [what still needs an answer]
Manager support: [coaching or resources to plan]
Effect on the decision: [linked to an approved role requirement]Keep reference notes in a private, approved hiring workspace. Do not publish them, paste them into public tools, or share them with people outside the hiring team.
The downloadable worksheet is a blank local file. It does not send reference data to Account Executive Jobs. If you use the employer dashboard's private notes, include only the job-related detail your team needs.
Make the decision with the full record
Compare references with interview examples, the work sample, and the actual role requirements. A conflicting account is a reason to ask a clear follow-up. It is not an automatic rejection.
If you hire, use relevant coaching notes in the ramp plan. If you still lack evidence for an essential skill, resolve that question before making the offer. The hiring-process guide keeps that decision tied to a named owner and date.
Common questions
Does a limited reference mean the candidate is weak?
No. Some references can provide only basic employment details. Record the limit and assess the evidence you can obtain through the agreed process.
Should every finalist get the same questions?
Use a common set tied to the role. Add neutral follow-ups for specific gaps from each person's interviews, and record why you asked them.
