Reference Request Letter
Asks someone to act as your referee, and makes it easy for them to say yes.
Details
reference request letterUploads
Your logo
A photo or picture
Goes on this page only. Drag it anywhere and pull its corner to resize it.
Your signature
Draw it with a finger, a mouse or a trackpad, and it goes on the page like a picture.
Pictures and signatures stay on this device. Nothing is uploaded to a server.
Red highlights mark what is still blank. Click anything on the page to change it. Your draft is kept on this device as you work.
Dear Sir / Madam,
I am applying for [role], and I would be grateful if you would act as a referee.
I am asking you because [why them].
They may be in touch from around [date]. If it helps, I can send you the job description and a short reminder of what I worked on, so you are not writing from memory.
If you would rather not, please just say so — I would far rather you told me than felt obliged.
Either way, thank you for considering it. You can reach me on [your contact details].
What is a Reference Request Letter?
A reference request letter asks someone to act as your referee and gives them everything they need to say yes quickly. It matters because most referees are willing but busy: the ones who go quiet are usually the ones who were asked vaguely and then had to work out the deadline, the format and what to write. An unanswered reference request can hold up a job offer or a tenancy for weeks.
Job applicants send this to former managers before listing them on an application. Students send it to tutors and supervisors weeks before a portal deadline. Tenants send it to a previous landlord or letting agent. Contractors send it to past clients when bidding for work, and people joining professional registers or applying for licences send it to sponsors and proposers. It is also used inside organisations: an HR team writing to a former employer to request a reference on a candidate uses the same structure, with the candidate's written consent attached.
If you are the one requesting a reference about another person, consent matters. Under the UK and EU GDPR, and comparable privacy laws in India, Canada and Australia, an employer handing over information about a former employee needs a lawful basis, which in practice usually means the candidate's clear written authorisation — include it with the request. Some employers will only respond through a named HR mailbox or an online form, and some regulated sectors have prescribed reference formats. Check the former employer's stated reference process first.
A request is not an instruction, and it does not entitle you to a reference. Nobody is obliged to write one, and pressing someone who has hesitated usually produces a lukewarm letter that hurts more than silence would. The request also does not dictate content: you can supply facts and remind them of projects, but you cannot ask a referee to say something they do not believe, and a referee who writes to order is exposed if the recipient later checks. Give them room to decline.
What to put in a Reference Request Letter
These are the details this template asks for. Anything left blank is marked in red on the preview so you can see what is still missing.
| Field | What goes in it |
|---|---|
| Who you are asking | For example: Dana Whitfield |
| Role you are applying for | For example: Customer Success Manager at Barton Software |
| Why you are asking them | For example: you managed me directly for two years and saw the escalation work close up |
| They may be contacted by | Free text |
| Contact details | For example: Columbus, OH · (614) 555-0142 · alicia.romero@example.com |
| Issued to (full name) | For example: James Whitfield |
| Their address | For example: 588 Kinnear Road, Columbus, OH 43212 |
How to write a Reference Request Letter
Ask before you list them anywhere
Get agreement first, in writing, before you put a name on an application form. A referee contacted out of the blue by an employer often replies that they were not asked and cannot help, which reads badly for you. A short message asking whether they would be willing, followed by the detail once they agree, costs you a day and prevents that.
State exactly what is being applied for
Name the role, course, property or licence, the organisation, and one line on what it involves. A referee writing for a senior operations job emphasises different things than one writing for a research place. Attach the job advertisement or programme page. Without it, they will write something general, and a general reference is the weakest kind there is.
Give the deadline and the mechanism
Say when it is needed, and by what route: an email to a named address, an upload link that will arrive from a portal, a signed PDF back to you, or a phone call the employer will make. Say if the portal email is likely to land in spam. A referee who misses a deadline usually missed it because nobody told them there was one.
Attach a short reminder of your work
Include your CV, your dates and job title with them, and three or four bullet points on what you did while you worked together: the system you migrated, the team you led, the client you kept. This is not writing the reference for them — it is saving them from reconstructing 2021 from memory. Most referees are grateful for it.
Make it easy to say no
Add one line: if you do not feel able to give a strong reference, please just say so and I will ask someone else. It sounds counterintuitive and it is the most useful sentence in the letter. A hesitant referee will take the exit rather than write something tepid, and you find out in time to ask a better-placed person.
Common mistakes
- Listing a referee on an application before asking them means the first they hear of it is a call from a stranger, and the reference that follows will be cautious at best.
- Sending the request with no deadline gets it filed as something to do later, and later arrives after the employer has moved to another candidate.
- Asking a referee who has not seen your work in eight years produces a letter about who you used to be, which recruiters discount heavily.
- Requesting a reference about someone else without the subject's written consent puts the former employer in a difficult position under data protection rules, and many will simply refuse.
- Failing to warn a referee that the portal email comes from an unfamiliar address means the request sits in a spam folder until the application closes.
Frequently asked questions
How do I ask someone to be a reference by email?
Keep it to five short paragraphs: what you are applying for, why you thought of them, what the reference involves, the deadline and route, and an easy way to decline. Attach your CV and the job or course description. Ask the question in the first two lines — a request buried under three paragraphs of pleasantries often gets skimmed and then forgotten.
How many referees do I need?
Two is the usual minimum for employment and tenancy; three is common for academic and professional applications. Read the specific requirement, because some ask for a defined mix — a current or most recent employer, an academic referee, an independent character referee who is not a relative. Line up one more than you need, so a referee who goes quiet does not stop the application.
How much notice should I give a referee?
For a straightforward employment or tenancy reference, a week is usually enough. For an academic letter or anything that needs thought, give three to four weeks, and more if you are asking over a holiday or an exam period. Send one polite reminder about a week before the deadline, and tell them once it has been submitted so they are not chased twice.
Can I ask a colleague instead of my manager?
Often yes, especially if you have not told your current employer you are looking. A senior colleague, a project lead, a client or a former manager at the same organisation can all work. Say plainly in your application why the current line manager is not listed — that the search is confidential — rather than leaving a gap the recruiter has to guess at.
What if my old employer only confirms dates and job title?
That is common policy and recruiters are used to it. Supply a second referee who can speak to your work — a former manager who has since left, a client, a contractor you worked alongside — and let the old employer's HR handle the factual confirmation. Say up front which referee is which, so nobody thinks a bare confirmation is all you could get.
This page explains general practice and is not legal advice. Requirements differ between countries and, in some cases, between states — check what applies where the document will be used.