How to Ask for and Use Professional References
A respectful guide to choosing Australian professional referees, asking permission, briefing them, protecting contact details and following up with thanks.
A professional reference gives an employer another informed view of your work. It is a favour built on trust, not a contact detail to scatter across every application without warning.
Choose people who can speak honestly about relevant skills, ask permission and make the process easy for them.
Choose relevance over seniority
A direct supervisor, project lead, client or appropriate colleague may be more useful than a very senior person who barely knows your work. Consider what the new employer is likely to verify and who observed that evidence.
Follow the application’s rules. Some employers specify the relationship, recency or number of referees required.
Ask clearly and give an easy way to decline
Contact the person before listing them. Name the role, explain why you thought of them and ask whether they are comfortable providing a positive professional reference. A respectful question protects both of you.
If they hesitate, thank them and choose someone else. A reluctant reference is not improved by polite pressure.
Confirm the correct details
Protect personal numbers and email addresses. Do not publish referee details on public profiles or widely shared résumé versions.
- Preferred name and title
- Organisation and relationship to you
- Professional phone or email they approve
- Availability and any contact limits
- Whether details may be included now or only later
Brief the referee at the right stage
Send the role description, your current résumé and a short reminder of relevant work you did together. Point to the skills the employer may ask about without scripting an answer.
Tell them who may contact them and the likely timing. The is one example where referee checks follow interviews or assessments, though employers vary.