Trends Report: Why Flexibility Matters in Reference Checking

Reference checking has long been a key step in the hiring process, but the way references respond is changing. To get a clearer picture, we analyzed a full year of production data from Refapp during 2025, covering hundreds of thousands of completed reference checks across industries and countries.

A few patterns stand out. Understanding these can help hiring teams design reference processes that are easier for references to complete, faster for recruiters to manage, and smoother for candidates.

References Don’t Follow Office Hours

While reference checking is often managed during office hours, our data shows that references frequently respond when it suits them, including evenings and weekends.

In 2025:

• 63% of references completed questionnaires during business hours (weekdays, 8 AM–5 PM)
• 28% responded during weekday evenings or nights
• 9% responded during weekends

That means about 37% of all references answered outside normal business hours.

For hiring teams that rely mainly on phone calls during office hours, this can create practical challenges. Some references may simply not be available during the workday.

Digital reference checking allows references to respond asynchronously, making it easier for busy professionals to provide feedback when they have time.

For organizations with candidates and references in different countries, time zones can also become a practical challenge. An asynchronous process makes it easier to collect references regardless of location, without delaying the hiring process.

Mobile Is Now the Primary Device for Reference Checks

Another clear pattern in the data is how references access questionnaires.

Our 2025 data shows that:

• 63% of references completed questionnaires on a mobile device
• 37% used desktop
  

In other words, nearly two out of three references now respond via smartphone.

This highlights the importance of mobile-friendly reference forms. Long forms designed mainly for desktop screens can create friction on smaller devices.

Mobile usage also affects how questionnaires should be designed. On a phone, long open-ended questions can feel time-consuming to answer.

Structured questions using numerical rating scales are often easier to complete on mobile devices. At the same time, research shows that structured reference questions can improve both reliability and validity, helping recruiters gather feedback that is easier to interpret and compare across candidates.

When references can respond on their phone or computer at a convenient time, the need for scheduling and coordination largely disappears, saving time for both the reference and the recruiter.

SMS Has Overtaken Email

Another pattern we observed is how references access questionnaires.

For the first time in our data, SMS links generated more responses than email links.

In 2025:

• 55% accessed the questionnaire via SMS
• 45% via email
  

This likely reflects everyday communication habits. Many professionals check text messages more frequently than email.

For recruiters, sending reference requests via SMS can make it easier for references to access the questionnaire quickly and respond sooner.

References Often Respond Faster Than Expected

Reference checking is sometimes seen as one of the slower steps in the hiring process. Our data suggests that it does not necessarily have to be.

The median response time in our dataset is 8 hours.

This means that half of all references respond within eight hours of receiving a request.

This tells us something about how references behave in practice. When the process is simple and accessible, many references respond relatively quickly, often the same day.

Rather than moving forward in slow stages, the reference process can progress continuously as responses come in.

The Bigger Picture

Taken together, these patterns suggest that reference checking is becoming more flexible and more mobile.

References today often expect the ability to:

• respond outside office hours
• complete questionnaires on mobile devices
• access requests quickly through SMS or simple links
  

With more than 1.5 million candidates processed through Refapp to date and 50,000 active users, the data provides a useful snapshot of how reference checking is carried out across many organizations.

A smoother reference process can also benefit candidates. When references can respond quickly and easily, hiring decisions can move forward without unnecessary delays, creating a faster and more transparent recruitment experience.

The best candidates move fast. To keep up, your reference checking process needs to be as flexible as the people you are hiring👋🏼

About the Reference Checking Trends Report

This article is part of the Reference Checking Trends Report: Insights from Refapp Data, a series based on anonymized data from the Refapp platform.

By analyzing hundreds of thousands of reference checks across industries and countries, the series explores how reference checking works in practice today and what hiring teams can learn from real behavioral data.