You’ve narrowed your candidate list down the final contenders, and you’ve conducted, analyzed, and compared notes on at least two rounds of interviews. You’ve whittled the pool down to a first place contender, a close second, and small bank of runners-up. Now it’s time for the final stages of the process, and these final stages include one of the most ambiguous and subjective—but also necessary—aspects of the review process: the reference check.

You intend to contact each name on your candidate’s list of references and ask a series of questions about his or her personality and performance history. And if you’re like most managers, you expect a round of generic, glowing reports. Most references will tell you that the candidate is exceptional, a hard worker, a problem solver, and a godsend. If you’re lucky, they’ll add specifics and quantify their praise.

But what if this doesn’t happen? What if your contact’s responses are confused, vague, abstract, and disinterested? And what if you can’t seem to reach a reference by phone or email? Here are a few of your options.

1. Move down the list.

If you can’t get a meaningful response from the first contact, try the second and third. One neutral response is often a fluke, but several shrugs in a row can be an indicator of trouble. Head off this problem by asking for five references or more.

2. Sharpen your questions.

If your reference is dodging the issue and giving you nothing in terms of useful information, focus your questions. Instead of just asking for anything she can tell you, try these: “What one skill does this candidate perform exceptionally well?” and “Which specific skill set should I trust to someone else instead of this candidate?”

3. Assess the relationship.

The candidate may have chosen this reference for her high profile position (a CEO, a department manager, a major client), and may not have worked closely with her on a daily basis. By the same token, this reference may have worked very closely with the candidate, but in a lower profile capacity, such as a peer or immediate supervisor. This distance may explain the neutrality of an uncommitted or uninformed response.

4. Comparison matters.

Don’t make your ruling until you’ve completed the reference check process with every candidate in your final round. Expect at least on neutral or bland response for each candidate, and factor any variation from this pattern into your final decision.

For more information and specific guidance that can support your screening and hiring process, reach out to the staffing professionals at Expert.