Updated: 23 October 2026

Ask someone to be your reference

This prompt writes a polite email asking a former colleague or manager to be a reference. You say where you worked together, what projects they saw and the role you are applying for, so they can say yes with confidence.

text-reference-request — chatgpt — 56 words

Write an email asking [NAME] to be a reference.

Where we worked together: [COMPANY, PERIOD]
Projects they saw me on: [PROJECTS]
Role I am applying for: [ROLE]
Skills I hope they can speak about: [SKILLS]

Make it easy to say no, short, and offer a summary of my work to refresh their memory. Under 120 words.

Edit in the builder Copy & open ChatGPT ↗Copy & open Gemini ↗Copy & open Claude ↗

Always ask before listing someone as a reference.

Get a better result

What you will get

A short email under 120 words that asks someone to be your reference, makes it easy to say no, reminds them of the work you did together and offers a summary of your achievements.

Common mistake

You list the person before they agree.

Fix: Follow the tip and ask first. Wait for a yes, then send the job details and the date a call might come.

Also watch for

The email is vague about what you want them to say. Name the two or three skills and the project in the blanks, so they can speak about something they actually saw.
The tone puts pressure on them. Keep the line that it is fine to say no, and avoid words like “urgently” or “I really need”.

Try a variation: thank-you after the call

Ask for “a short thank-you note to send after they have given the reference, with an update on how the application went”.

Still not right? Reply with this

Make the email shorter and warmer, with the summary of my work as three short bullet points at the end.