How To Ask For a Reference Letter From Your Former Employer
In This Guide:
Reference letters are probably the last thing on a job seeker’s mind when putting together their application.
However, few realise the value of a well written testimonial from previous employer.
A good reference letter vouches for your abilities from an objective standpoint, unlike your resume.
But getting an employment reference letter is a tricky act, often causing much anxiety. How do you ask for it?
Here are six steps on how to ask for a reference letter!
Step 1: Explain where you are today and what you need
It may have been a lengthy period of time since you last spoke to your former boss or mentor. It is always important to be upfront about your current situation and help you are requesting for.
A great way to start off would be like this:
Prepare a proper email subject for reference request
When crafting an email subject line for a reference request, consider the following tips to strike the right balance between professionalism and friendliness:
Clarity: Keep your subject line straightforward and easy to understand. This ensures that your email is noticed and understood. For instance:
- “Reference Request, [Your Name]”
Politeness: Maintain a polite tone in your subject line. Even if you know the person well, professionalism is key. For example:
- “Request for a Reference, [Your Name]”
Friendliness (when appropriate): If you have a close relationship with the person you’re asking for a reference, you can inject a touch of friendliness into your subject line. For instance:
- “Hi [Their Name], Can You Help with a Reference?”
Favor Appeal: If you prefer a more direct approach, you can politely ask for the favor of a reference in your subject line:
- “Can I Ask for a Reference, [Your Name]?”
Engagement: If you want to catch their attention, you can use a slightly more informal subject line to stand out:
- “Favor Alert: Need Your Reference, [Your Name]”
Personalization: Whenever possible, include their name in the subject line to make it more personal and appealing:
- “Reference Request, [Their Name] – Can You Help?”
Remember that the choice of subject line should reflect your relationship with the person and the tone of your overall email.
Balancing professionalism with friendliness and clarity will help you create a compelling subject line for your reference request.
Step 2: Explain why you are approaching them
You’ve probably had many bosses in the past. Therefore, it is important to explain to your former boss why you are picking him/her to write your letter of reference.
Sample structure to create an effective request:
When crafting the email body, balancing clarity and courtesy is essential.
- Remind them of your identity
- Express your appreciation
- Request their reference
- Provide details and context about the position
- Close with gratitude
Remember that brevity is key in email communication. You can cover all these points in a few concise and friendly lines.
The goal is to clarify your request, demonstrate your appreciation, and provide enough context to help them give an informed reference.
Step 3: Highlight some of your achievements
Your former boss or mentor is probably really busy. It would be great if you could provide him with a guide of sorts that highlights your achievements, to help him with writing your reference letter.
It could be finishing a challenging project, bringing in new business, or improving a process at work.
Achievements are tasks that:
- Bring value to your company or show off your skills
- Provide a clear picture of you in action at work
- Are NOT part of going day-to-day business
You don’t want to include your day-to-day activities or talk about your personality traits when you list achievements.
Try to stick to your key achievements that your future employer would appreciate when you join their team.
Each achievement should follow the “3M Formula”. They need to have:
- Merits: What value your achievement brought to the company
- Metrics: How the success of your achievement was measured
- Method: How you were responsible for the achievement
Step 4: Give them a chance to say “No”
At this point, it is important to give your former boss or mentor an option to say no without feeling uncomfortable.
Step 5: Close with a warm thank you
At the last stage, thank your former boss for their time. A thank you note at the end of your message is a common courtesy worth including if you want to show your previous employer some respect.
The closing should contain the following elements:
- Outline the next steps, and let them know when they might expect to be contacted.
- Seek their permission and request their contact details.
- Finally, sign off with a thank you!
Step 6: Sign off
Sign off with a joke or memory from the old days. Something to put a smile on your referee’s face. This adds a level of personalisation to the letter, helping to ensure that you get a response.
Reference Letter Example from Previous Employer
Hi Martin!
How are you? I am writing to you because I need a massive favor. I’m considering applying for a senior consultant role at IBM and would really appreciate it if you could write me a reference letter to aid in my application.
We had a really good working relationship back in Oracle, and I feel you had a good grasp of my skills and abilities. Furthermore, given your credible status in the industry, I feel you would be the perfect person to give an objective opinion of me to my new employer.
I’ve included a short list of my tasks and achievements during my time in Oracle. Please feel free to take the attached sample letter and use it as a template. I have tried to address my strengths as a hardworking and driven team player. Please do feel free to make changes to my sample how you deem fit. Also, please do not hesitate to remove certain sections you are not comfortable commenting on.
If you do not feel comfortable writing a reference letter for me, I completely understand.
Once again Martin, I really do appreciate all the mentoring and guidance you’ve given me over the years. I owe you a huge debt of gratitude.
We should definitely catch up sometime. You still owe me that ice bucket challenge!
Kind Regards,
[Your Name/Your Signature]Common Questions about Reference Letters
How to request for a reference letter politely?
You can politely ask for a reference by simply explaining your current situation and what you need from them. It’s a good idea to give them an opportunity to refuse if you want to be polite.
Is it OK to ask for references?
Yes, it’s completely okay for you to ask your previous employer for a reference. This is considered commonplace within the industry, so it shouldn’t be an issue to provide you with a reference.
What if someone refuses to give you a reference?
There may be times where a former employer says that they won’t give you a reference. In this scenario, it’s usually better to use someone else willing to give you a credible positive reference – though, you can ask them again for a basic one paragraph reference if you’re desperate.
Is it OK to use someone as a reference without asking?
Though it’s usually okay to use someone as a reference without asking them first, it’s a better idea to get their permission if you can. This is because when an employer calls them, they’ll know that you’ve put them down as a reference in advance.
It is OK to ask your current employer for a reference?
Yes! Employers typically require a reference from your current employer. However, you should only ask your current company for a reference once you receive a job offer.
Conclusion
When it comes to getting a new job, some good references can be the difference between you getting the role and not. But, asking for a recommendation can be daunting if you’ve never asked for one before.
Fortunately, most employers are pretty understanding. So if you’re going for a new job and want to seal the deal, be sure to have some good references on hand.
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Outside of his professional pursuits, he enjoys road cycling, diving deep into biographies, and devouring copious amounts of dumplings.
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