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What is Xref Reference?
Collect fast, reliable reference checks. Xref is an online reference checking tool trusted by organizations across Canada and the United States to enable fast, data-driven hiring decisions. The fully automated solution turns a slow and inconsistent task into an efficient and valuable stage of the recruitment journey.
Company Details
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Real user data aggregated to summarize the product performance and customer experience.
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Product scores listed below represent current data. This may be different from data contained in reports and awards, which express data as of their publication date.
76 Likeliness to Recommend
2
Since last award
93 Plan to Renew
4
Since last award
80 Satisfaction of Cost Relative to Value
5
Since last award
Emotional Footprint Overview
Product scores listed below represent current data. This may be different from data contained in reports and awards, which express data as of their publication date.
+86 Net Emotional Footprint
The emotional sentiment held by end users of the software based on their experience with the vendor. Responses are captured on an eight-point scale.
How much do users love Xref Reference?
Pros
- Unique Features
- Respectful
- Acts with Integrity
- Continually Improving Product
How to read the Emotional Footprint
The Net Emotional Footprint measures high-level user sentiment towards particular product offerings. It aggregates emotional response ratings for various dimensions of the vendor-client relationship and product effectiveness, creating a powerful indicator of overall user feeling toward the vendor and product.
While purchasing decisions shouldn't be based on emotion, it's valuable to know what kind of emotional response the vendor you're considering elicits from their users.
Footprint
Negative
Neutral
Positive
Feature Ratings
Automated Survey Distribution
Templated Communications
Reference Referee Portal
Job Board Integration
Candidate Pools
Survey Based Reference Checks
Metrics and Analytics
Secure Candidate Data Storage
3rd Party Integration
Dashboards Reporting
Vendor Capability Ratings
Ease of Data Integration
Quality of Features
Usability and Intuitiveness
Availability and Quality of Training
Ease of Implementation
Product Strategy and Rate of Improvement
Ease of Customization
Vendor Support
Breadth of Features
Business Value Created
Ease of IT Administration
Xref Reference Reviews
Colwill G.
- Role: Human Resources
- Industry: Other
- Involvement: End User of Application
Submitted Aug 2025
Reference Checks Without the Cat-and-Mouse
Likeliness to Recommend
What differentiates Xref Reference from other similar products?
No more chasing references. No more awkward cold calls or waiting days for a reply. Xref automates the entire thing — and in our agency, where creatives and freelancers often rotate fast, that’s golden
What is your favorite aspect of this product?
It timestamps every stage — when the candidate submitted, when the reference started, when they completed it. For compliance and audit purposes, that level of tracking is helpful, especially when hiring for government clients who need proof of diligence
What do you dislike most about this product?
You’re limited to their question templates unless you go in and build your own — which can take a while. Also, some references don’t respond well to email-only approaches. I had to nudge a few manually
What recommendations would you give to someone considering this product?
Build reference flows for each role type - junior, mid, freelance - and save them as templates. It saves a ton of time. Also, check if your background check provider integrates with Xref , you can build a pretty tight end-to-end verification process.
Pros
- Effective Service
- Inspires Innovation
- Saves Time
- Transparent

Reinaldo M.
- Role: Consultant
- Industry: Consulting
- Involvement: End User of Application
Submitted May 2023
Detailed background with Xref .
Likeliness to Recommend
What differentiates Xref Reference from other similar products?
I can easily integrate with other security products. This allows me to collect and verify all the necessary information from a single source.
What is your favorite aspect of this product?
I can easily integrate with other security products like Bullhorn ATS and CRM, SmartRecruiters, and iCIMS Talent Cloud.
What do you dislike most about this product?
It takes a long time to check.
What recommendations would you give to someone considering this product?
Xref offers many benefits to businesses. It allows us to collect detailed information about candidates and helps us recruit suitable candidates and avoid risks.
Pros
- Helps Innovate
- Continually Improving Product
- Reliable
- Performance Enhancing

Abdoul O.
- Role: Human Resources
- Industry: Other
- Involvement: End User of Application
Submitted Oct 2022
Reference Checks made easy and enjoyable!
Likeliness to Recommend
What differentiates Xref Reference from other similar products?
The integration to the ATS was seamless, the implementation time was fast, and the support received was terrific.
What is your favorite aspect of this product?
XRef is reliable and easy to use with a user friendly interface. The references received were highly accurate and the data integrity of users were all preserved.
What do you dislike most about this product?
I did not come across something I disliked about using the system. Candidates praised us for its efficiency and ease to use.
What recommendations would you give to someone considering this product?
No recommendations at t his time.
Pros
- Reliable
- Enables Productivity
- Caring
- Saves Time