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Ask someone to be your referee and make it easy for them

A new employer wants two referees by Friday. Get a message that asks nicely, reminds them what you did and tells them what to expect.

Updated 17 Oct 2026

The prompt · ChatGPT

Help me ask someone to be my referee.

Who: [name, their role, how I know them]
When we worked together: [dates]
The new job: [title, company]
What they'd remember about my work: [projects, results]
What the employer will ask: [e.g. dates, role, a short form]
When: [deadline]

Ask me up to 3 short questions first if anything important is missing. Wait for my answers.

Then:
1. A friendly request under 100 words that makes it easy to say no.
2. A short "memory jogger": my dates, role and three things we worked on.
3. What they can expect: who will contact them and roughly when.
4. A thank-you message for after.

Remind me to check with Acas or GOV.UK if a reference seems unfair. Only use what I've told you, leave blanks for anything I haven't given, and don't invent facts, dates or results. UK English.

Stay in this ChatGPT chat. Do not turn on apps or connectors, and do not use memory from another chat.

A short example

Fill the blanks, then paste. name, their role, how I know them: a short note you already have. dates: a short note you already have. Leave the rest of the prompt as written.

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