You will be able to ask a contact for a referral in a way that is easy for them to say yes or no to.
You spot a role at a company where a former classmate works. You know a referral would help. You open WhatsApp, type "Hey, long time. Your company is hiring, can refer me?", look at it, feel slightly sick and delete it. A week later the ad closes.
Asking for a referral feels awkward because it feels like asking for a favour that puts the other person on the spot. It does not have to. A referral request done well is short, gives the person everything they need, and makes it easy for them to say yes or no. This lesson shows you how to write one.
Start with who to ask. A referral works because someone puts their name next to yours, as lesson 5.1, Three routes in: apply, recruiter, referral, explained. People will only do that for someone they know at least a little.
So ask people you have spoken with: former colleagues, classmates, people you met through work, and anyone you have had an informational conversation with in module 7. Do not ask strangers. A cold message to someone at the company you have never met, asking them to refer you, puts them in an impossible position. They know nothing about your work, so they either refuse or refer you with a shrug, and neither helps.
If you know nobody at the company, the honest route is a conversation first. Ask someone there for twenty minutes of advice, as lesson 7.2, Ask for twenty minutes of advice, describes. If the conversation goes well and the role fits, a referral can come up naturally later, often offered rather than asked for.
The person you ask needs to know two things: which role, and why you are a reasonable fit for it. They should not have to work this out for themselves.
Give one or two lines on why you fit, using the strongest match between your background and the ad. Wei Ling's version: "I've spent five years in logistics operations and built the late-deliveries dashboard our managers use every week, and the role is looking for someone who knows supply chain data." That sentence gives the referrer something to say when they pass on her CV.
Most referrals happen through a short message from your contact to a recruiter or hiring manager. Make that message easy to write by giving your contact the pieces.
Send three things: the link to the job ad, your tailored CV for the role, and a two-line summary they can paste or forward as it is. The summary is written about you, in the third person, so they do not have to rewrite it. Wei Ling's read: "Wei Ling has five years in logistics operations and builds the Excel dashboards her managers use for weekly delivery decisions. She's learning SQL and moving into supply chain analytics."
With those three things, your contact can refer you in two minutes. Without them, they have to find the ad, ask you for your CV and think about what to say, and the request sits in their inbox for a week.
The most important line in a referral request is the one that lets the person decline without embarrassment. People sometimes cannot refer you: the company may have rules about referrals, they may not know the hiring team, or they may simply not know your work well enough to vouch for it. If saying no feels awkward, they may just not reply, which is worse for both of you.
So say it outright: "No worries at all if it's not something you can do." It takes the pressure off, and people who feel they can say no are more likely to say yes.
Here is Wei Ling's full message to a former colleague, now at a logistics software firm:
"Hi Hafiz, hope the new job is going well. I saw your team is hiring a supply chain data analyst and I'm keen to apply. I've spent five years in logistics operations and built the late-deliveries dashboard our managers still use, which seems close to what the role needs. Would you be comfortable referring me? I've attached my CV, the link and a two-line summary you can forward. No worries at all if it's not something you can do."
It is under 100 words. It names the role, gives a reason, provides everything needed and leaves an easy way out.
Whatever happens, thank the person, and tell them the outcome. If you get an interview, let them know. If you get the job, tell them first and thank them properly. If you are rejected, tell them that too and thank them for trying.
This is easy to forget once the process moves on, and it is the part that keeps the relationship healthy. The person stuck their neck out for you. Knowing how it ended matters to them, and a contact who feels appreciated is far more likely to help again, or to think of you the next time a role comes up. Lesson 7.3, Stay in touch without being a pest, builds on this.
Now pick one real role and one real contact, and write your own request in the activity below.
Write a referral request message for one real role and one real contact, under 100 words.
Junxiong-WFG Organisation is an authorised representative of AIA Financial Advisers Private Limited (Reg. No. 201715016G).