Meaningful WorkHR lead

Reference request letter

Draft a compliant reference request email.

Prompt template

0 placeholders

Draft a reference request email to {REFEREE} about {CANDIDATE} for the role of {ROLE}. Ask about: dates of employment, role and responsibilities, safeguarding concerns, reasons for leaving, and reliability. Comply with UK/EU data-protection norms; do not ask about protected characteristics.

Replace each highlighted placeholder with real context. Keep names and safeguarding details out.

When to use this prompt

Reach for this prompt when you need to draft a compliant reference request email. It's designed for HR lead. Typically used within Recruitment work.

Draft with AI, then have a colleague verify facts and tone before use.

How to use it

1
Gather your inputs
Have your local context, audience and goal to hand.
2
Fill in the highlighted placeholders
Copy the template above and replace every highlighted placeholder with real, local context.
3
Run it in your AI tool
Paste into your preferred AI assistant. Ask a follow-up if the output misses your association's tone.
4
Work through the checklist
Tick every item before you send, publish or act on the output.

Why this prompt works

Covers safeguarding without straying into discriminatory ground.

Worked example

REFEREE: [name] · CANDIDATE: [name] · ROLE: Sessional Worker

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