Haveo · Networking when you need a job
How to ask someone for a referral
Ask people who have seen your work, name the exact role, and write the paragraph for them. Send the job link, two lines on why you fit, and an easy way to say no. The templates below cover a former colleague, a weak contact, and a LinkedIn message.
Who you can actually ask
Anyone who has seen your work directly: former colleagues, managers, clients, collaborators. They are putting their judgment behind you, so they need to have seen something.
Someone you met once at an event usually cannot refer you. They can introduce you to the hiring manager or someone on the team, which is a different and much easier ask. Use the second template for that.
Get Haveo free on the App Store →
Make it nearly no work
Send three things in one message: the link to the specific role, two or three lines they can paste about why you fit, and your resume attached.
Most referrals fail because the person meant to do it and the task never got small enough to finish. If they have to open three tabs to help you, they will do it later, and later rarely comes.
Get Haveo free on the App Store →
Email template: a former colleague
Subject: Referral for the [role] role at [company]?
"Hi [name] — [company] is hiring a [role] and I am applying. We worked together on [project], so you have seen me do this kind of work. Would you be comfortable putting in a referral? Here is the posting: [link]. I pasted two lines below that you are welcome to use or ignore. Completely fine if not."
Get Haveo free on the App Store →
Template: someone you do not know well
Here you ask for an introduction or a short conversation, not a referral. It is a smaller request, so more people say yes.
"Hi [name] — we met at [event] and talked about [topic]. I am applying for the [role] role on your team. Could you tell me who the hiring manager is, or would you have 15 minutes to tell me what the team is like? No problem if the timing is bad."
Get Haveo free on the App Store →
LinkedIn message version
LinkedIn messages get read on a phone, so keep it short and put the ask in the first line.
"Hi [name], quick ask: I am applying for the [role] role at [company] ([link]). We worked together on [project]. Would you be open to referring me? I can send two lines you can paste. Completely fine if not."
Get Haveo free on the App Store →
Subject lines that get opened
- Put the company and the role in the subject, so they know what it is before they open it.
- Referral for the [role] role at [company]?
- Quick ask about [company]
- [Mutual contact] suggested I reach out about [role]
Get Haveo free on the App Store →
Give them the exit
"Completely fine if not" at the end matters more than it looks. Without it, someone who is not comfortable referring you often just does not reply.
Then you lose the contact as well as the referral. The exit keeps the relationship either way.
Get Haveo free on the App Store →
If they do not reply
Wait one week, then send one short note in the same thread. After that, let it go.
"Hi [name], bringing this back up in case it got buried. The posting closes on [date]. Completely fine if you would rather not."
Get Haveo free on the App Store →
Afterwards
Thank them the same day they say yes. Then tell them what happened, whether you got an interview or not.
People who referred someone and never heard the outcome are less willing the next time.
Get Haveo free on the App Store →
Rehearse it before you walk in.
Haveo builds your intro, lets you practice out loud with an AI coach, and keeps your notes one tap away in the room. Free on iPhone and iPad with iOS 15.1 or later. No account required.
Download Haveo — free