Job applications
Prepare a brief for someone giving you a reference
Once someone agrees to be your referee, send a short brief with four items: the role, two or three pieces of work they saw firsthand, the format the employer wants and the due date. Supply facts and links. The referee supplies the opinions.
A text to start with
[Name] has agreed to give me a reference for a [job title] role at [organization]. I worked with them as [relationship] from [start] to [end]. Job summary: [summary]. Projects they saw firsthand: [projects]. The employer wants [format, such as a call or a form] by [date]. Draft a brief of under 250 words for them. Include only work from the period we worked together.
Example request. Change the details to fit your situation.Referee brief worksheet
Referee name and current title: [ ] How we worked together, with dates: [ ] Role I am applying for: [ ] Employer and job posting link: [ ] Three requirements from the posting: [ ] Example 1: [project or task] What the referee saw directly: [ ] Link or file to share: [ ] Example 2: [project or task] What the referee saw directly: [ ] Link or file to share: [ ] Format the employer requested: [call, email, form] Due date: [ ] How the employer will contact the referee: [ ] Date I sent this brief: [ ] Referee's questions or corrections: [ ]
Claims the referee cannot confirm
A referee can speak to what they saw. Check every sentence against that limit. Remove results that came after they stopped working with you, work from teams they never joined, and traits they have not observed. Cut any wording that scripts their answer, such as asking them to call you a leader. Offer the examples and let them describe the work in their own words. Match dates, titles and project names to your resume, so the referee has the same factual account you submitted.
Ask another agent to check the result
Read this referee brief line by line. Mark every statement the referee could not personally verify from working with me: later results, other teams, personal traits. For each, propose a replacement limited to work they observed, or recommend removal. Flag any wording that tells them what to say.
Send it and confirm receipt
Send the brief through the channel the referee prefers, with the job posting link, your current resume and the due date. Ask whether the examples match their memory and whether they want other material. Confirm the contact process when it is available. Pass along a form or link only if the employer asks you to do so. Note what you sent and when, then thank them after they submit.