Tailored to the shape of customer success manager work. Universal questions plus the 4 role-specific ones that surface the most useful signal for this hire.
Reference checks separate "reasonable on paper" from "would actually hire again" for a Customer Success Manager candidate. Per SHRM's reference-check guidance, the highest-signal questions are behavioral (what they did) not opinionated (what the reference thinks). Ask universal questions about working relationship and stand-out moments, then add the 4 Customer Success Manager-specific prompts below.
Three references is the modern standard: direct manager + peer + (if relevant) a direct report or cross-functional partner. EEOC guidance prohibits questions about protected categories (age, disability, religion, family status) — every question on this page is structured around job-relevant behavior and outcomes only. Each Customer Success Manager question includes "what you're learning" beneath the surface ask so you read past polite generic answers.
Universal
How do you know [Candidate] — what was your working relationship?
What you're learning:Establishes context. Their boss has a different read than a peer; a direct report has yet another.
What stood out about [Candidate]'s work?
What you're learning:Lets them lead with strengths. Listen for specifics vs generics — vague answers are a flag.
Where did [Candidate] struggle? Where did they need support?
What you're learning:Every strong candidate has growth edges. A reference who says 'nothing' is a flag of its own.
How did [Candidate] respond when they got hard feedback?
What you're learning:Single best predictor of how they'll perform under stress and how they'll grow in the next role.
Would you hire [Candidate] again, knowing what you know now? For what kind of role?
What you're learning:The crown jewel of any reference check. The 'for what kind of role' qualifier is the truth-tell.
What's the working environment where [Candidate] thrives best?
What you're learning:Cross-check against your team's actual environment. If they need a structured boss and yours is hands-off, big risk.
Is there anything I should be worried about going into this hire?
What you're learning:The open-ended catch-all. Often produces the most useful single fact in the whole call.
Customer Success Manager specific
Did [Candidate] proactively spot churn risk, or react when escalations came in?
What you're learning:Proactive vs reactive CS is the single biggest separator. References almost always know which mode they were in.
How did [Candidate] handle customer requests that conflicted with the product roadmap?
What you're learning:CSMs who advocate without limits become product weapons; ones who never advocate become passive. Both are flags.
Did [Candidate] develop expansion accounts on their own, or wait for the customer to ask?
What you're learning:Top CS muscles their book toward growth. Bottom-half maintains it.
How structured was [Candidate]'s preparation for QBRs?
What you're learning:Preparation quality is the most observable indicator of CS rigor.
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