{"id":"career-reference-request-former-manager","audience":"job-seekers","category":"career","technique":"context","track":"writing","title":"Ask a former manager to be a reference, with what to stress","free":false,"task":"You're a finalist for a job and need a reference from a former manager who has since changed companies. Get an email under 120 words, plain text: the ask, the job, that the call should come within a week, and exactly 2 bullets starting with \"- \" on what she could speak to. Use her current company, pick examples that fit this job, and sign off exactly \"Thank you, Nora Kim\".","materialLabel":"Your notes (attached to your prompt automatically)","material":"MY NOTES (Nora Kim)\n\nApplying for: Event Coordinator, Harbor View Hotel. I'm a finalist! They'll call references in the next week.\n\nReference: Gina Russo, my manager at Lakeside Catering (2022-2025)\n- she left Lakeside in August. She's now catering director at Bellmont Events\n- her email: gina.russo@bellmontevents.example\n\nThings Gina saw me do:\n- planned the setup for 40+ weddings, including timelines for vendors\n- handled a 300-guest gala when the head chef was out sick, everything served on time\n- trained 5 new servers\n- did the weekly inventory spreadsheet\n- I was late twice my first month (she probably remembers lol)\n\nEvent Coordinator job posting: \"Coordinate weddings and corporate events, manage vendor timelines, stay calm under pressure.\"\n\nHaven't talked to Gina in about 8 months.","rules":[{"type":"maxBullets","max":2},{"type":"maxWords","max":120},{"type":"plainText"}],"mistakes":[{"title":"Missing her new job","why":"The AI sees 'Lakeside Catering' first and writes as if she still works there.","fix":"Add: \"She's now catering director at Bellmont Events.\"","checks":["r0"]},{"title":"Not choosing the examples","why":"The AI lists everything she saw, so your reference may talk about inventory instead of what the job needs.","fix":"Add: \"2 bullets: the wedding vendor timelines and the 300-guest gala.\"","checks":["r1","maxBullets"]},{"title":"Leaving out the timing","why":"The AI doesn't say when the call is coming, so she isn't ready for it.","fix":"Add: \"Say Harbor View will call within the next week.\"","checks":["r2"]},{"title":"Trusting the AI to count words","why":"AI is bad at counting. Ask for a total and it often lands 20% over.","fix":"Cap each part: \"4 short sentences under 16 words, then 2 bullets under 12 words.\"","checks":["maxWords"]},{"title":"Forgetting where it's going","why":"AI adds bold and headings that show up as stray symbols in an email.","fix":"Add: \"Plain text, no bold, no headings.\"","checks":["plainText"]}],"promptHints":[{"label":"Uses her current job","patterns":["bellmont","new (job|role)","now"]},{"label":"Picks matching examples","patterns":["gala","vendor","timeline","\\b(2|two)\\b.{0,15}bullet"]},{"label":"Gives the timing","patterns":["week","soon","call"]},{"label":"Gives the sign-off","patterns":["thank you, nora","sign"]},{"label":"Sets a length limit","patterns":["\\d+\\s*words","word (limit|count)","under \\d+"]}],"hint":"A reference is only as good as what they remember in the moment. Tell the AI where she works now, which two examples fit the job, when the call is coming and how to sign off.","rubricLabels":["Refers to Gina's current role at Bellmont Events (or congratulates her on it) and doesn't say she still works at Lakeside","The 2 bullets are the wedding vendor timelines and the 300-guest gala (the examples that match the posting)","Mentions the Event Coordinator job at Harbor View Hotel and that the call should come within the next week, and ends with 'Thank you, Nora Kim' (on one line or split over two)"]}