GUAYNABO – November 14, 2026 -- Some 37% of U.S. workers say a potential employer contacted a former manager or coworker they had not listed as a reference, according to the Professional References Report from resume builder Zety. Applied to the 1,007 respondents, that works out to roughly 373 people. By comparison, only 15% say their listed references were contacted every time they were hired.
Fewer than one in six workers say listed references are always called
Of the respondents, 47% say their references were contacted sometimes and 38% say rarely or never. By our calculation, 85% say listed references were not called every time. The 37% reporting backdoor contact is about 2.5 times the 15% reporting consistent calls to listed names.
Workers are split on the practice. Some 48% say employers may go beyond the list only with the candidate's permission, and 25% say it is acceptable even without permission. Another 27% say it is unacceptable. Taken together, 73% accept wider contact in at least some circumstances.
Zety career expert Dr. Jasmine Escalera said that "rogue reference checks introduce a wild card into the hiring process." She said candidates have no control over who is contacted and may never learn that a conversation took place.
52% of workers have been asked to back someone they doubted
Of all respondents, 22% gave a positive reference despite reservations, 18% gave an honest but mixed or negative one, and 12% declined. Those three groups add up to the 52%. Within that group, by our calculation, about 42% gave a positive reference, 35% a mixed or negative one and 23% declined.
The report's introduction cites 40% of workers as recommending people despite reservations. The breakdown shows that figure is the sum of the 22% who gave positive references and the 18% who gave mixed or negative ones, so it counts everyone who gave a reference.
One in 10 candidates asked a friend or family member to pose as a reference
Zety reports that 10% of workers asked a friend or family member to pose as a former coworker or manager. That is roughly 100 of the 1,007 respondents. A further 9% coached their reference on what to say. The report's 19% figure for coaching or faking references equals these two shares added together.
Other tactics are more common. Some 39% chose people they knew would speak positively. Another 11% asked references in advance what they planned to say, and 11% left off a former manager they expected to be negative. Some 7% intentionally provided outdated contact information.
Meeting reference requirements is itself a hurdle. Some 31% of workers, roughly 312 respondents by our calculation, struggled to find enough professional references when applying for a job. Some 22% say references do not accurately reflect a candidate's work performance, and 42% say references should have little to no influence on the final hiring decision.
Zety fielded the survey through Pollfish on August 24, 2026
Zety describes the sample as nationally representative. It comprises 1,007 U.S. employees: 56% female, 43% male and 1% nonbinary. By generation, 21% are Gen Z, 27% millennials, 26% Gen X and 26% baby boomers. Zety did not disclose a margin of error.