Backdoor reference checks hit 37% of US workers, Zety survey finds
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.