Skip to main content
Documentation
Documentation
Administrator Guide
Last Updated: 2026-04-03
Steps: Set Up External Candidate References

Steps: Set Up External Candidate References

You can streamline the recruiting process to collect referees from external candidates during the job application process. Workday sends referees an email that enables them to submit a reference for the external candidate. Referees can decline to send a reference, and Workday enables the recruiter to collect more references using the
Manage References
 task in My Tasks.
  1. Edit Business Processes.
    Enable these
    Reference Check
     business process steps as tasks that recruiters can use to manage reference details:
    • Add References
    • Manage References
    • Reference Check Decision
    • (Optional)
      Review Add References
    Security:
    • Manage: Assign Reference Templates
       domain in the Recruiting functional area.
    • Manage: External References
       domain in the Recruiting functional area.
    • Candidate Data: Reference Check Results
       domain in the Recruiting functional area.
    • Self-Service: External References
       domain in the Recruiting functional area.
    • Set Up: External References
       domain in the Recruiting and Talent Pipeline functional areas.
  2. Access the
    Maintain Referee Relationship Types
     task.
    Create candidate relationship types for referees.
  3. Select
    Add References
     and configure these fields:
    • Contact me before reaching out to referee
    • Company Name
    • Job Title
    • Phone Number
    • Relationship Type
    You can't optionally configure these fields:
    • Email Address
    • Name
  4. Create a
    Reference Check
     type questionnaire.
  6. Access the
    Maintain Reference Template Rules
     task.
    Use condition rules to assign reference templates to a specific job requisition. You can view the reference template assigned to a job requisition on the
    Details
     tab.
  7. (Optional) Access the
    Assign Reference Template
     task to change the reference template used on a job requisition.
    Security:
    Manage: Assign Reference Templates
     domain in the Recruiting functional area.
  8. Access
    Edit Tenant Setup - Notifications
     task.
    In the
    Notification Delivery Settings
     section, select the
    Business Process
     tab. As you complete the
    Custom Business Process Notifications
     section, select:
    • Email
       for the
      Channel
       prompt.
    • Immediately
       for the
      Default Frequency
       prompt.
    Security:
    Self-Service: External References
     domain in the Recruiting functional area.
  9. On the
    Reference Check
     business process, to notify candidates about the
    Add References
     task, select:
    • Candidate as Self
       for
      Recipients
      .
    • On Entry of Add References
       for
      Trigger on Status
      .
    To notify referees about the reference, select:
    • Referee as Self
       for
      Recipients
      .
    • On Shared Participation Step of Manage References
       for
      Trigger on Status
      .
  10. Create Calculated Fields.
    To collect questionnaire answers, create a
    Referee (from Reference)
     calculated field on the
    Questionnaire Answers
     business object.
    Security:
    Candidate Data: Reference Check Results
     domain in the Recruiting functional area.
Recruiters can collect references and resend referee links. When recruiters resend referee links:
  • Workday resends all notifications associated with the
    Manage References
     step of the
    Reference Check
     business process.
  • Any step delays don't respect the
    Step Delay
    , but Workday does respect the Notification Delay.
When a candidate gets purged, you can also purge their references and associated referees.
Configure the term referee with a custom label.