Recruiters · problem and fix
Reference checks taking too long: causes and fixes for recruiters on Mac in 2026
Reference checks take too long because they depend on people who do not work for you. Referees need a free window, a reply, and a clear reason to say yes. This guide covers why it happens, what it costs, and fixes you can use on your Mac today, with nothing new to buy.
The short answer
- Most of the delay is waiting for replies, not time on the phone.
- OPM puts a structured phone check at about 20 minutes per contact, with at least three contacts recommended.
- Send the request early, with call windows and a reply date, not a vague ask.
- Use Send Later in Apple Mail or scheduled send in Gmail, and track every referee in one Google Sheet.
- Follow your employer's rules on candidate and referee data before you store any notes.
What slow reference checks costs you
Recruiter hours spent chasing
Each check needs a call, a voicemail, a callback and a note. OPM puts a structured phone check at about 20 minutes per contact, and it recommends at least three contacts. That is about 60 minutes of call time for one candidate. Add the chasing, and the hours grow fast. The chasing is the part nobody logs.
Waiting time on the offer
A finalist who waits on a reference may accept another offer. A vendor blog puts a manual reference at 3 to 7 days per reference, though it names no study behind that figure. Treat the number as a rough guess, and measure your own timeline before you act on it.
Hiring manager patience
Managers notice when the last step drags. They ask why the offer is late, and they can lose trust in your pipeline. A stalled check also makes the process look disorganized to the candidate, which costs goodwill you may need during negotiation.
Low signal for the time spent
OPM says reference checks predict job performance better than education or experience. It also says they are less effective than cognitive ability tests. A long, loose call can therefore give you less signal than the time it took.
Vendor fees, if you outsource
Some teams pay a vendor to run checks. A vendor blog lists $5 to $50 per completed check, with no named source. The same blog says some enterprise vendors quote only by volume. Check each vendor's pricing page, and ask for a sample report before you commit.
Compliance risk from loose notes
Reference notes contain opinions about a real person. Loose notes in a shared file can cause trouble later. Follow your employer's rules on candidate and referee data. For regulated jobs, such as law, nursing or accounting, check your firm's policy before anything is stored.
Why it happens
Requests start too late
Reference checks usually sit late in selection, after interviews narrow the field. If the request goes out after the final round, the calls begin at the worst time. OPM describes this late placement as typical. Starting the request with the interview invite moves the calls earlier, so they run alongside other steps.
A phone-first process
Most reference checks happen by phone. OPM says written requests usually get low response rates. A phone process means you wait for a human to answer, return a call and find a free slot. Each missed call adds another round of waiting.
Unstructured calls that run long
Calls drift when every recruiter asks different questions. OPM recommends basing questions on a job analysis, asking every applicant the same questions, and using standard rating procedures. Without that structure, you need follow-up calls to fill the gaps, and the total time grows.
Nobody owns the status
A check stalls when no one knows who called whom. Status lives in a thread, a sticky note or someone's memory. Without one owner and one tracker, the second follow-up never goes out, and the referee assumes the matter is closed.
Referee reluctance
Referees worry about legal and personal consequences. A 2023 PLoS One study with 420 supervisors tested reminders about consent, privilege and confidentiality. None had a main effect on fear or on reported incivility. Reluctance is real, and a reminder line alone will not fix it.
Consent and paperwork in the wrong order
Some teams contact referees before the candidate agrees to the check. Others wait on a signed form that nobody tracks. Either way, the call stalls. Settle consent at the start, and log the date it was given in the tracker.
Candidates who give weak or stale contacts
Some candidates list a former manager who left years ago, or a peer who never saw their work. The first round of calls then fails. Ask the candidate for current contacts who managed them directly, and explain why you need them.
How to fix it
These work with or without any app.
Send the request with the interview invite
Ask for the referee list when you schedule the interview, or in the same email thread. Ask for a few names, and say what the call involves. Early asks let the calls run in parallel with other steps. Most candidates can answer this in a single reply.
Offer call windows, not open availability
Replace let me know when you are free with a specific call window. Name a day and an afternoon. OPM says phone is the usual method, so make the call easy to say yes to. Offer a short written alternative only if the referee refuses the call.
Use one question set for every referee
Write a short list of questions based on the job. Ask every referee the same questions in the same order. OPM recommends the same questions for every applicant. Keep the list in a text file you can open during each call.
Set a deadline in the request
Say when you need the answer, and why you need it by then. A date tells the referee how much time they have. Without a date, the request waits at the bottom of the inbox.
Schedule follow-ups with Mail or Gmail
In Apple Mail, click Send Later in the compose window, then choose a preset time or set your own. In Gmail, use scheduled send. Write the follow-up now, so you do not have to remember to send it. Apple's Mail guide covers Send Later step by step.
Track every referee in one Google Sheet
Create one row per referee, with a status dropdown that has fixed values. Sort by status each morning to see who needs a nudge. Open the sheet in Chrome, and keep it in a shared folder that your employer allows.
Settle consent before the first call
Ask the candidate for consent in writing before you contact referees. Log the date in the tracker. This also answers the first question most referees ask, which is whether the candidate knows about the call.
Dictate call notes right after the call
Speak your notes while they are fresh. Hold fn if you use Lazur, or use macOS Dictation from Edit > Start Dictation in most apps. Either way, the note lands at the cursor, so it goes into the right row or email.
Switch channels after one voicemail
Leave one voicemail. Then send a short email that asks for a reply and offers a call window. Keep the email to a few lines so it is easy to answer on a phone.
Reference checks usually come last in hiring. OPM describes them as typically done late in selection, once the candidate pool is narrowed. That timing makes them a bottleneck. The candidate has already cleared interviews, so the team waits on one more step before an offer goes out. Every idle day at that step costs you something.
Why reference checks take so long
Most of the delay is waiting, not talking. OPM says most reference checks are done by phone. It also says written requests usually get low response rates. So a request sitting in an inbox can stall for days. The referee has a full calendar too. You need a gap that matches theirs, and then you need to catch them.
| Step | What it involves | What the source says |
|---|---|---|
| Phone check, one referee | Ask the same structured questions and take notes | About 20 minutes per contact (OPM) |
| Number of contacts | Speak with the people who know the candidate's work | At least three contacts recommended (OPM) |
| Written request | Email or form sent to a referee | Low response rates, so phone is preferred (OPM) |
| One reference, start to finish | Scheduling, voicemail, callbacks, notes | 3 to 7 days per reference (vendor blog, no named study) |
Here is the math using only the OPM numbers. Three referees at about 20 minutes each means roughly 60 minutes of call time. Add the time to find a window, leave a voicemail, and call back. Then add the wait for the referee who never answers. The call time is the small part. The waiting is the big part.
How long a reference check should take
OPM describes reference checks as a late-stage step, and you should keep them there. The goal is to finish every call before the offer decision, not after it. Start the requests early enough that the calls run alongside the paperwork. Then the check stops holding up the hire.
Writing a reference request that gets answered
A good request does three jobs. It tells the referee who you are and what the call involves. It also says when you need an answer. Most slow requests miss that last job. Please reply soon means nothing to a busy person. Offer call windows instead.
Here is a request that works in plain text. Hi Dana, thank you for speaking with me about Sam's application for the operations lead role. Sam has agreed to this check. Could you spare about 20 minutes for a phone call this week? Tuesday or Thursday afternoon would suit me best. If neither works, reply with a time that does, and I will call you. Could you reply by Friday? Thank you, [your name].
- Your name and the role in the first line
- A consent line saying the candidate agreed to the check
- How long the call takes, such as about 20 minutes
- Call windows, not open-ended availability
- The date you need an answer by
- Your phone number and a one-line signature
Keep the written version short. OPM says written requests usually get low response rates, so the email should ask for a phone call. Use a written question set only as a backup for referees who refuse calls. Do not send the full questionnaire as the first ask.
Scheduling reference follow-ups in Apple Mail on Mac
Apple Mail can send at the right time for you. Write the request, then click Send Later in the compose window. Choose a preset time, or set a date and time yourself. The message waits in the Send Later mailbox in the Mail sidebar. Double-click it, then click Edit to change it. Select it and click Delete to cancel it.
Mistakes happen after you send, too. Undo Send sits at the bottom of the sidebar. It works within 10 seconds of sending. To change that delay, or turn Undo Send off, open Mail > Settings > Composing. That is a short window. Read the email once more before you press Send.
Reference checks in Gmail on Mac
If your team uses Gmail, the same habits apply. Gmail can schedule a send, so you can write during your morning and let the email go out when referees check their inboxes. The scheduling guide covers Safari and Chrome. Keep one approved request as a draft, then copy it for each candidate. Swap in the name, the role and the call windows. More recruiter email habits are on the Gmail for recruiters page.
Tracking every referee in Google Sheets
A tracker stops the chase from living in your head. Use one row per referee. Give the status column fixed values, such as Requested, Scheduled, Called and No response. A dropdown keeps those values clean. The steps are in the dropdown guide. Use the same columns for every candidate, so anyone on the team can read the sheet.
- Candidate
- Referee name and relationship
- Date request sent
- Status, as a dropdown
- Call window offered
- Last contact
- Notes from the call
Sort by the status column each morning. Bring every No response row to the top, and follow up on those first. The steps for sorting are in the sort guide. Keep a last contact column too, so you can see the gap at a glance.
20 minutes
Typical length of a structured telephone reference check, per contact
OPM, Reference Checking (assessment and selection guidance)3
Minimum number of reference contacts OPM recommends
OPM, Reference Checking (assessment and selection guidance)10 seconds
Undo Send window in Apple Mail after you send a message
Send email messages in Mail on Mac, Apple Support Guide420
Supervisors in a 2023 study of reference check reminders
What should I say? Testing ways to reduce fear and increase disclosure of incivility in reference checksDoes a structured reference check help or just take longer?
OPM says reference checks predict job performance better than education or experience. It also says they are less effective than cognitive ability tests. Structure makes them more useful. Ask every applicant the same questions, and base those questions on the job.
Do not expect a reminder line to fix candor. A 2023 PLoS One study tested three reminders with 420 supervisors. None had a main effect on fear or on reported incivility. The reminders explained under 3% of the variance in each outcome. Plan for better questions and a clear process, not a single clever sentence.
Mistakes that make reference checks drag
- Asking for references after the offer is drafted, so calls land on a deadline nobody set
- Sending a written request with no call window, so the referee has nothing to say yes to
- Calling without a question set, so each call runs long and the notes do not match
- Keeping status in your inbox, so the second follow-up never goes out
- Accepting names the candidate cannot vouch for, such as a peer who never managed them
- Calling referees before the candidate has agreed to the check
Watch for the quiet mistakes too. Notes kept in a personal notebook are hard to find later. Put every call note in one place, the same place for every candidate, so the next person can read it.
When a referee never answers
Give a referee one call attempt and one written follow-up. After that, ask the candidate for another contact who managed them directly. Log every attempt in the tracker. If someone asks later why a reference is missing, the log shows what you tried.
Edge cases: current employers, video calls and other countries
Some candidates ask you not to contact their current employer. Agree on a late-stage check that waits for an offer, and confirm that in writing. If a referee prefers video, send a Zoom invite with the same call windows. Keep the same question set. Calls abroad add time zones, so write each referee's local time in the tracker.
Where Lazur helps with reference checks
Lazur is a voice assistant for the Mac. It lives in the notch. Hold ⌥ ⌘ to ask about anything on your screen, and Lazur answers out loud. Ask it to explain a question set, draft a request, or point at a button. It does not click for you. You still send the email and make the call.
Dictation saves typing after each call. Hold fn and speak your notes. The text lands at the cursor, so it goes into the tracker row or the email you have open. Dictation is included with Lazur. It is not the headline feature, but it may be the part you use most after each call.
For background reading, Lazur can run research in its own Chrome tabs and return a summary and a report. Use that to gather public guidance, then confirm any legal point with your employer.
What Lazur does not do
Lazur does not operate other apps for you. It will not place calls, send emails or move rows in your tracker. It is not a plugin or add-in for Mail, Gmail or Sheets, and it has no partnership with any of those makers. It listens and looks at your screen only while you hold the shortcut. Check the pricing page for plans, and get the app from the download page.
Start with the open role closest to an offer. Write the request, schedule the follow-up, and log each step. The check moves when one person owns it. Afterward, compare the request date with the last call date, and fix the slowest step first.
Faster with Lazur
Where Lazur helps with slow reference checks
Hold ⌥ ⌘ and say what you want. Lazur sees your Gmail window. Lazur reads what's on screen and writes the draft at your cursor for you to check.
- 1
Hold ⌥⌘ and talk
- 2
Lazur reads what's on screen and writes the draft at your cursor for you to check.
- 3
You stay in Gmail. Nothing to copy into a chat window.
More things to say in Gmail
- “Lazur, explain what a structured reference call should cover.”
- “Lazur, where is Send Later in this message?”
- “Lazur, walk me through scheduling this email.”
- “Hold fn and speak your call notes.”
- “Lazur, draft a short reference request with call windows.”
- “Lazur, research public guidance on reference check timing.”
Free for 3 days, then $18/month. Download for Mac
You say“Lazur, draft a reference request with call windows for this candidate.”
Lazur · drafts itLazur drafts a short request with call windows and a clear reply date. You review it, then schedule it with Send Later.
Draft at your cursor
A short email that asks for a phone call, offers call windows, and names a reply date.
What recruiters say to Lazur for this
Each one is a single hold of ⌥ ⌘.
“Lazur, explain what a structured reference call should cover.”
Lazur explains the structure out loud, so you can build a question set without reading a long guide.
Explains what's on screen
“Lazur, where is Send Later in this message?”
Lazur draws a circle and a label around the button. You click it yourself.
Points at it
“Lazur, walk me through scheduling this email.”
Lazur guides you one click at a time and waits for each click before it continues.
Walks you through it
“Hold fn and speak your call notes.”
Dictation types clean text at the cursor, so each note lands where you are working.
Types what you say
“Lazur, draft a short reference request with call windows.”
Lazur drafts the text. You read it, change it and send it from your own mail app.
Drafts it
“Lazur, research public guidance on reference check timing.”
Research runs in Lazur's own Chrome tabs and returns a summary and a report. Check each source before you rely on it.
Researches in the background
A plan you can start this week
- Day 1
List your open referee requests
Open your tracker, or start one in Google Sheets. Add each finalist and the referees you still need to reach. Mark who has agreed to the check and who has not. Give every candidate one owner.
- Day 2
Rewrite the request email
Use one short template. Add a call window, a reply date, and a line confirming consent. Read it out loud once. If it takes more than a breath, cut it. Save it as a Mail or Gmail draft.
- Day 3
Schedule the follow-ups
Use Send Later in Mail, or scheduled send in Gmail, for each follow-up. Set the first reminder for a few business days after the request. Log each send in the tracker with the date and time.
- Day 4
Measure what happened
Compare the request date with the last call date for each finalist. Note where the time went, such as voicemail or a late reply. Change one step before the next role opens.
Questions people ask
How long does a reference check take?
OPM says a structured telephone reference check takes about 20 minutes per contact. A vendor blog says a manual check can take 3 to 7 days per reference, but it names no study. Your real timeline depends on how fast referees reply, so track your own requests for a few hires.
How many references should I ask for?
OPM recommends a minimum of three contacts. Ask the candidate for names of people who managed their work directly. If a referee cannot be reached, ask for another name rather than waiting.
Are phone reference checks better than email?
OPM says most reference checks are done by phone and prefers phone over written requests. Written requests usually get low response rates. Use email to book the call, and keep a written question set only as a backup.
Can I schedule a reference request in Apple Mail?
Yes. Click Send Later in the compose window, then choose a preset time or set your own date and time. Scheduled messages wait in the Send Later mailbox in the Mail sidebar, where you can edit or delete them.
What if I send a request by mistake?
Undo Send sits at the bottom of the Mail sidebar. It works within 10 seconds of sending. You can change that delay in Mail > Settings > Composing, or turn Undo Send off there.
Do I need the candidate's consent first?
Get the candidate's agreement in writing before you contact referees, and follow your employer's policy. A 2023 study tested applicant consent as one of its reminders, but that study does not set the rule for your company.
Will Lazur call my references or send the emails for me?
No. Lazur does not operate other apps for you. It can explain the process, draft the request text, point at the Send Later button, and guide you one click at a time. You send the email and make the call.
Is candidate data safe with Lazur?
Lazur listens and looks at your screen only while you hold the shortcut. Audio and the screenshot go to AI providers to answer, and they are not stored. Content is never used to train AI models. Your employer's data rules still apply, so check them before you paste candidate notes.
Is there a free trial?
Yes. Lazur has a Pro trial that needs no credit card. The trial starts when you first open the app. Check the pricing page for plan details.
Does Lazur work on Windows?
Not yet. Lazur runs on macOS, on both Apple silicon and Intel Macs. Windows is planned, but it is not available.
Sources
- Reference Checking, OPM assessment and selection guidance · U.S. Office of Personnel Management · checked 2026-11-09
- What should I say? Testing ways to reduce fear and increase disclosure of incivility in reference checks · PLoS One via PubMed Central · checked 2026-11-09
- Send email messages in Mail on Mac · Apple Support · checked 2026-11-09
- Automated Reference Checks: 7 Days to 48 Hours, 2026 · The Hire Hub (vendor blog) · checked 2026-11-09
Fix slow reference checks with Lazur, free for 3 days
Hold a key and ask. Lazur sees your screen, points at the button and talks you through it, in any Mac app. No credit card.