Email asking a former manager to be a reference
Who wrote it
Shatha Kamal worked three years at a youth centre in Hebron and now lives in Amman. She asks her former manager to be a reference for an NGO job.
The writer and every detail about them are fictional.
What went into the template
- Your former manager, and how you worked together
- Basem Tamimi, my manager at Karama Youth Centre in Hebron, 2020 to 2023
- The job you are applying for
- Programme Officer at Bridges International, Amman
- What is needed?
- They may call or email
- When, or the deadline
- Their HR team may call or email in the next two weeks
- What they could mention
- The six donor reports he reviewed with me; the 2022 summer camp for 300 children that I coordinated; the job needs budgeting and donor reporting
The writer’s facts, as typed into the template’s form. The example uses nothing else.
The example
Reference request to a former manager: Asking for a reference
Numbered notes in the margin explain each choice.
Subject: Would you be a reference for me? (Programme Officer, Bridges International)
Subject line
Dear Basem,
Greeting
I hope you and the team at Karama are well. I am applying for a Programme Officer position at Bridges International in Amman, and I would like to ask whether you would be willing to be one of my references1. You were my manager for three years, and nobody knows my work at Karama better2.
The ask
Note 1: She asks before giving his name to anyone. A referee who is called without warning gives a weaker reference.
Note 2: A sincere reason for choosing him, which is also a compliment that is true.
If you agree, their HR team may call or email you in the next two weeks3. The role needs budgeting and donor reporting, so they may ask about the six donor reports you reviewed with me4, or about the 2022 summer camp for 300 children that I coordinated.
What to expect
Note 3: Telling him when to expect the call shows respect for his time.
Note 4: She reminds him of work that matches the new job, without telling him what to say.
I will send you my CV and the job advert so you know what they are looking for. And if the timing is not good for you, please just tell me5; I will completely understand.
Making it easy
Note 5: An easy way out makes his yes a willing one.
Thank you, and warm regards,
Shatha Kamal
Structure
How it is built
Each part in order, with its share of the words.
Checklist
Before you send
Go through your own draft line by line.
Before and after
Common mistakes and how to fix them
Lines like these turn up in many drafts by Arabic speakers. Each fix keeps the meaning and changes only the English.
I gave your number to the company, they will call you soon.
I would like to ask whether you would be willing to be one of my references.
Please say good things about me.
They may ask about the six donor reports you reviewed with me.
Dear Mr. Basem,
Dear Basem,
Questions people ask
Do I need to ask before listing someone as a reference?
Yes, always. It is a courtesy, and it lets them prepare. A referee who knows the job and what it needs gives a far more useful reference.
What should I send my referee?
Your CV, the job advert and one or two pieces of work they saw that match the role. Keep it short; they are doing you a favour.
Should I thank them afterwards?
Yes, whatever the outcome. Tell them how it went in two or three lines. They will be more willing to help next time.
Every writer in this library is fictional, and so is every detail about them. Universities and companies appear only as places someone applies to; the professors, papers and facts mentioned around them are invented for teaching. Use the examples to learn the moves, never as text to copy: committees notice, and your own facts are stronger.