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Reference requests

Email reference-check requests to contacts and view the feedback they send back.

Where to find it
Candidate profile → References tab
Who can use it
Anyone with access to candidates
Direct URL
https://app.nextal.com/candidates/<ID>?tab=references

What it does

Sends a reference contact an email with a secure link. The contact fills in a short form; their answers come back and appear on the References tab alongside any references your team collected directly.

The References tab. Pending requests show a status badge until the contact submits.

How to use it

  1. Add a reference contact

    On the References tab, click Request reference. Provide the contact’s name, email and relationship to the candidate.

  2. Pick a template

    Choose a reference survey (e.g. “Standard 5-question reference”). Your admin configures these in Configuration → Survey templates.

  3. Send

    The email goes out immediately. The request shows Pending until a response arrives.

  4. Review

    When the contact submits, their answers land on the References tab as a structured feedback card.

Sending a reference request

The reference request dialog. The candidate gives you the reference contact; you control the questions.

Click New reference request. The dialog asks for:

  • Reference contact — name and email (some teams also capture company and role).
  • Custom intro message — adds context above the form (e.g. “Marie has applied to a senior engineering role…”).
  • Questions — pick from your saved question set or write fresh ones. 5–8 questions is a sweet spot.

The contact receives a branded email with a one-click link to a private form. No login required.

Reading and using responses

A completed response. The whole thread is visible to anyone who can see the candidate.

When the reference fills out the form, the answers appear in the References tab and trigger an email notification. Each response shows: who answered, when, and the full transcript. You can forward the response to the hiring manager directly from the page (3-dot menu → Forward).

Tips

  • Get the candidate to introduce. Ask the candidate to email the reference first (“expect a quick survey from Nextal”). Response rates jump from ~30% to ~70%.
  • Standardise your questions. Save a question set per role family (engineering / sales / hourly). Easier to compare candidates apples-to-apples.
  • Keep it short. 5–8 questions, plain language. References complete short surveys; long ones get abandoned.