8 min read

Blue Collar Recruitment: Customizing Your Reference Checks

Key Takeaways

Context Matters: Using the same questions for manual labor and office roles produces poor data.
Safety First: Trade roles require a heavy focus on safety compliance and physical reliability.
Soft Skills: Corporate roles often prioritize communication styles and long-term strategic thinking.
Customization: You must tailor surveys to extract valid insights for specific job functions.

Reference checking is a mandatory step in the hiring process. However, many companies make a mistake by using a single, generic survey for every candidate. This approach ignores the vast differences between industrial roles and office-based positions. To succeed in blue collar recruitment, you must understand that the daily reality of a trade worker differs greatly from that of a corporate executive.

Your goal is to gather information that predicts job performance. If you ask a former supervisor about a candidate's ability to "lead remote meetings" when the job involves operating a forklift, the answer provides no value. You need to adjust your strategy to fit the role.

Legal counsel reviewing case files during a client meeting.

The Failure of One-Size-Fits-All Templates

A single survey template cannot capture the nuances of every job. When you apply a broad template to distinct roles, you risk missing red flags or overlooking strengths.

The risks of using a generic template include:

Irrelevant Data: You collect answers that do not predict success in the new role.
Missed Warning Signs: You might fail to ask about safety violations for a laborer because the template focuses on "office culture."
Frustrated Referees: Past employers may struggle to answer questions that do not apply to the work the candidate performed.
Bad Hires: Without specific insights, you might hire someone who lacks the exact technical skills required.

You need to respect the time of the person providing the reference. If they see questions that make no sense for the role, they might provide short, unhelpful answers.

Why the Site Manager and Software Engineer Comparison Matters

To understand why customization is necessary, look at two distinct profiles: a Site Manager and a Software Engineer.

The Site Manager Profile

A Site Manager works in a high-risk environment. Their decisions impact the physical safety of dozens of workers. Their day involves:

Strict adherence to safety regulations.
Managing physical logistics.
Direct, often loud, communication in noisy environments.
Immediate problem-solving to keep physical construction on schedule.

The Software Engineer Profile

A Software Engineer typically works in a climate-controlled environment. Their output is digital. Their day involves:

Writing and reviewing code.
Participating in agile stand-up meetings.
Long-term architectural planning.
Collaborative digital communication.

The Conflict of Generic Surveys

Imagine asking a referee for a Site Manager about their "proficiency with remote collaboration tools." While helpful, it is not the main priority. The more pressing question is whether they ever ignored a safety protocol.

Conversely, asking a Software Engineer's referee if the candidate "wears protective gear correctly" is a waste of a question. It shows you do not understand the role you are hiring for. This disconnect leads to poor hiring decisions. You must tailor your approach to get the truth.

Strategies for Construction Hiring and Trade Roles

When you deal with construction hiring or other trade industries, the stakes are often physical. A mistake here does not just cost money; it can cause injury. Therefore, your reference checks must drill down into reliability, safety, and technical competence.

Focus Areas for Blue Collar Roles

You should prioritize the following areas:

Safety Compliance: Did the worker follow all safety rules without exception?
Physical Reliability: Did they show up on time and ready to work every day?
Technical Proficiency: Can they actually operate the machinery they claim to know?
Teamwork in Hazardous Settings: How do they communicate when heavy equipment is moving around them?

Implementing Trade Skills Assessment

It is difficult to verify skills over the phone. However, you can use the reference check as a verbal trade skills assessment. Ask the past employer specifically about the quality of the work.

Did their welding hold up to inspection?
Was their carpentry finish work up to standard?
Did they maintain their tools properly?

These questions give you concrete data points regarding their skill level.

Approaches for Corporate Hiring and Professional Roles

Corporate hiring requires a different lens. While hard skills like accounting or coding are important, soft skills often determine long-term success in an office environment. The impact of a white-collar worker is often measured in months or years, rather than daily output.

Focus Areas for White Collar Roles

You should shift your inquiry to these aspects:

Cultural Fit: How does the candidate interact with diverse teams?
Adaptability: How do they handle changes in project scope or company strategy?
Leadership Potential: Do they mentor others or take initiative on new projects?
Conflict Resolution: How do they handle disagreements in a meeting room setting?

In these roles, you are looking for behavioral indicators. You want to know how they think and how they influence the people around them.

Specific Reference Question Examples

To help you build better surveys at Refhub, here are concrete examples of how to phrase your questions based on the role type.

For Blue Collar and Trade Candidates

Use these reference question examples to verify safety and skill:

Attendance: "How many shifts did the candidate miss in the last six months, and were they punctual?"
Safety: "Has this individual ever been involved in a safety incident? If yes, how did they handle it?"
Equipment: "On a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate their proficiency with [Specific Machine]?"
Quality: "Did their physical work ever require re-doing due to poor quality?"
Instruction: "Does the candidate follow instructions immediately, or do they tend to debate tasks?"

For White Collar and Professional Candidates

Use these questions to assess behavior and strategy:

Pressure: "Can you describe a time the candidate had to meet a tight deadline? How did they manage their stress?"
Communication: "How would you describe their communication style with senior management versus junior staff?"
Innovation: "Did the candidate ever propose a new process that saved time or money?"
Feedback: "How does the candidate accept constructive criticism?"
Remote Work: "How effective is the candidate at managing their own time without direct supervision?"

Building the Right Survey for the Role

Creating these distinct surveys manually can be time-consuming. You need a system that allows you to swap questions in and out based on the job description.

A custom reference check survey builder allows you to create specific templates for different job families, ensuring you always ask the most relevant questions for every candidate. This tool helps you save different sets of questions—one for your warehouse staff and another for your sales team.

Steps to Customize Your Process

Analyze the Job Description: Identify the top three critical success factors for the role.
Select Corresponding Questions: Choose questions that directly measure those factors.
Determine the Method: Decide if a phone call or a digital survey is best. Blue collar referees are often on site and might prefer a quick digital link on their mobile, whereas corporate referees might prefer a scheduled call.
Review and Refine: After a few hires, look at your data. Did the reference answers predict the employee's success? If not, change the questions.

Frequently Asked Questions

What if a candidate has both blue and white collar experience?

Focus on the role you are hiring them for. If you are hiring a former construction worker for an office sales role, ask about their technical knowledge (blue collar history) but prioritize questions about their communication and computer skills (white collar requirements).

Is it legal to ask different questions for different roles?

Yes. It is standard practice to ask job-related questions. As long as the questions are relevant to the duties of the position and do not touch on protected characteristics (like age, race, or religion), you can and should tailor them.

How many references should I request for a trade role?

For trade roles, two references are usually sufficient. Ideally, one should be a direct site supervisor who observed their daily work and safety habits.

Should I use digital reference checks for blue collar workers?

Yes. Digital checks are often better for trade supervisors. They are busy on-site and may not have time for a 20-minute phone call. A mobile-friendly digital survey allows them to answer quickly during a break.

Final Thoughts on Targeted Hiring

The difference between a successful hire and a costly turnover often lies in the details gathered during the reference check. By recognizing the distinction between blue collar recruitment and corporate hiring, you position your company to make smarter decisions.

You cannot rely on a generic approach to evaluate a Site Manager and a Software Engineer. Their worlds are different, their risks are different, and their success metrics are different. Tailoring your questions allows you to see the candidate clearly. It protects your company from safety liabilities and poor performance. When you take the time to customize your approach, you validate the candidate's true potential and secure a stronger workforce for the future.

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