There are two ways to find out what a former employer thinks about a candidate. The first option is to get a ready-made recommendation from the applicant. Fast, but doubtful, since often such recommendations are written by the employees themselves. As a result, the letter may contain 99% positive information and few details that help to form the right impression about the candidate.

The second method assumes that you collect feedback yourself - call or write to people with whom the applicant has worked. The principle of collecting feedback in this case will not be very different. You will need to prepare a list of questions that are important in making a decision about the candidate and that the previous employer can answer.

At the same time, live communication, of course, gives more flexibility - you can direct the conversation and ask questions that arise at the moment, as well as monitor the intonation reactions of the interlocutor.

Olesya Plotnikova, head of the recruitment and adaptation department at HeadHunter, recommends moving from the general to the specific in an interview:

“As a rule, when collecting feedback, we ask not one, but two or three people. This is the immediate supervisor, customer or employee to whom the candidate was indirectly subordinate, but performed important tasks, as well as a person in a similar position.
During the interview, you can ask closed questions, but there is a risk of getting socially expected answers to them. In addition, we do not know the relationship between the candidate and the employer. To avoid this, I recommend moving in a structured way and asking questions in a “general to specific” manner.
At the beginning, you can ask how the candidate and the employer / colleague interacted at work, how often, what projects were implemented, how many people were in the team and what were the results of the work.
Then carefully add questions about the risks that you want to confirm or deny. For example, an abstract question: “How do you rate this person’s communication?” If you are confused by the person’s communication style. The question is vague, it is not clear from it what exactly confuses you. At the same time, the interlocutor can give a detailed answer, and you will have something to think about.
HRspace recruiter Sergey Kuskov suggests writing a clear conversation script. This will allow you not to forget anything and create an atmosphere in which the interlocutor will be ready to share information. This guide will be especially useful for novice recruiters:

Introduce yourself (last name, first name, position).
Specify with whom I communicate (name of the interlocutor, position in the company).
Is it convenient for the interlocutor to talk to me at the moment?
Designate a time interval for our communication (usually I call 3-5 minutes, but the conversation can go up to 10 minutes).
Ask a closed question: did the candidate work for the company? (answer: yes/no)
Ask an open question: what can you say about the candidate as an employee and colleague?
Ask a clarifying question depending on the position of the candidate: possible achievements (preferably in numbers), possible misses in work and / or shortcomings, availability of managerial skills (for leadership positions), etc.
Reason for an employee to leave the company?
Possibility of receiving a recommendation in the form of a letter (electronic and / or on paper).
Thank the interlocutor for the time and information provided.
Add your options depending on the questions that concern you. For example, when there is a feeling that a candidate is not stress-resistant enough, you can find out how he experienced project launch situations, his mistakes or criticism from his superiors. The main thing is to have a list of questions at your fingertips, as in a conversation you can forget to ask something.

What to do if there was a conflict at the last workplace?
It happens that during the dialogue you understand that the candidate had a conflict with the previous employer. You should not ignore this information, it is important to try to understand it.

“Do not be afraid to ask directly what exactly was the conflict, who initiated it, how did the candidate and the leader/colleagues get out of this conflict? - advises Olesya Plotnikova, head of the selection and adaptation department of HeadHunter. - Regarding the conflict, it is difficult to make the only right decision by listening to only one person, since in this situation there are at least two sides. After getting information from a past supervisor or colleague, it's best to go back to the candidate and ask what they have to say about it. After that, correlate the versions and draw conclusions.
There were cases when we asked about the conflict, and the former leader directly said: “Yes, there was a conflict. We parted on “swords and daggers”, but I am wrong in this situation.” This also happens."
If you still have unresolved doubts after the interview, test tasks and the feedback gathering stage, it may be worth refusing the candidate or connecting the security service.

When you are asked for recommendations
If a former employee asked you to write a letter of recommendation, you can do it in free form. But it is better to convince him that asking for references directly from a potential employer will be more effective. Letters of recommendation on boom 

age is an increasingly rare thing in the practice of recruiting, and personal communication is much more important and informative. Your willingness to answer questions from a representative of the company where your former employee will be hired will be an additional help in the process of his new employment.

When you are approached for a telephone recommendation, leave the conversation to the caller. If a former employee warned in advance that they might call you, take some time to prepare for the conversation: remember the features of working with him and his professional qualities. So you can give the interested company useful information.

By the way, applicants also check companies. 89% of candidates learn about potential employers, 64% study the reviews of former / current employees on the Internet, 39% check the information on the website of the Federal Tax Service. So the test is most often mutual. Both parties benefit from it: employers understand that hired employees meet the requirements and values ​​of the company, and applicants choose companies that can be trusted and that have a healthy working atmosphere.