I have a job offer pending a reference check. Help me prep my references so they say the right things — without sounding rehearsed.
ROLE I'M APPLYING FOR: {title + company + 1-line about the role}
WHAT THE COMPANY VALUES IN THIS ROLE (from JD or interviews): {3-5_traits — autonomy, customer obsession, technical depth, etc.}
WHO MY REFERENCES WILL BE: {names + how_they_know_me + how_long_ago_we_worked_together}
WHAT EACH REFERENCE IS BEST POSITIONED TO SPEAK TO: {match_each_reference_to_a_trait}
ANYTHING I'M WORRIED A REFERENCE MIGHT SAY POORLY: {gaps / lukewarm_reference}
TIMELINE: {when_will_the_calls_happen}
FOR EACH REFERENCE, GIVE ME:
1. **A short prep message** (4-6 sentences) that:
- Thanks them for agreeing.
- Lets them know the role + level + what the company cares about.
- Mentions ONE specific moment or project they were involved in that's perfect to highlight.
- Asks them to flag any concerns to me first (so I'm not surprised).
2. **Talking points** they might use — 3 specific examples from your shared work history.
3. **One question they might be asked** that could trip them up + a true answer that doesn't make me look bad.
4. **A thank-you follow-up** after the call (same day).
Also: 1 paragraph on how to handle a lukewarm reference — should I drop them, brief them harder, or let it ride?0 copies·0 saves·1 views
217 words·1,337 chars
Sample output
Role: Head of Growth at a fintech Series B. Company values: autonomy, data-driven, customer obsession, builds 0-to-1. References: (1) Maria — my last manager at HubFin, knew me 3 years, can speak to growth team building; (2) Sasha — peer at HubFin, can speak to cross-functional + sales partnership; (3) Carlos — a customer-success leader at HubFin, can speak to customer obsession + working with non-marketing teams. Concern: Maria left the company on rough terms with leadership; I'm worried she'll editorialize.
1. Maria (former manager — autonomy + team building)
Prep message:
'Hi Maria, thanks so much for agreeing to do this. Quick context — I'm in late stages with [Company] for a Head of Growth role. They care a lot about autonomy and 0-to-1 building, which is what we did with the activation team at HubFin in 2022-2023. If you're asked to highlight something specific, the rebuild of the onboarding funnel (the one that took us from 18% to 41% activation) is the cleanest example. One ask: if you have any concerns to share about my fit, please flag them to me first — I'd rather know than be surprised. They'll call in the next 5 days. Thanks again, this means a lot.'
Talking points to seed:
Tripping question: 'Why did Maria leave HubFin?' Honest framing for her: 'Maria left because of a leadership transition unrelated to the team's performance. The growth org she helped build is still running on the model.'
Parameters
Text generation parameters
FAQ
Always brief references the SAME DAY the company asks for them — not 5 days later. The window between 'reference ask' and 'reference call' is usually 48 hours. A briefed reference sounds confident; an unbriefed one sounds vague. The prompt targets ChatGPT (GPT-4) and lives in the Personal & Career category on mycopyprompt.
This prompt is written for ChatGPT (GPT-4). It's a text/chat prompt — paste it into ChatGPT (GPT-4) (or compatible LLMs like Claude or GPT-4) to get the expected output.
1. Click the Copy button on this page to copy the full prompt. 2. Open ChatGPT (GPT-4). 3. Paste the prompt into a new conversation. 4. Replace any {placeholders} with your specifics, then send. Most prompts produce the right output on the first try; complex ones may need 1-2 iterations.
Yes — every prompt on mycopyprompt is free forever. No paywall, no signup wall for browsing or copying. You can use it for personal or commercial work, just don't redistribute the entire mycopyprompt library.
Absolutely — most prompts are templates. Look for {placeholders} (curly braces) and swap them with your own values. You can also reword sections, add constraints, or chain it with other prompts.
See the "Sample output" panel above — that's a real example of what ChatGPT (GPT-4) returns when this prompt runs. Your output will vary in wording but should follow the same structure and depth.
Similar prompts
Matched against every prompt in the catalog by title.
Thank-you follow-up (same day): 'Maria, just wanted to say thanks for taking that call. I owe you. I'll let you know when I hear back. — Devon'
2. Sasha (peer — cross-functional)
Prep message: 'Hey Sasha, thanks for doing this for me — [Company] reference check, role is Head of Growth. They're looking for someone who can work cleanly across product, sales, and CS — which is exactly what we figured out at HubFin. If you remember the partnership we built on the SMB pipeline launch in 2023, that's a great one to mention. They'll call this week. Anything you want to flag with me first?'
Talking points: SMB pipeline launch · the weekly 'growth + sales' standing that I started · how I handled the conflict with the demand-gen team in Q2.
3. Carlos (customer success — customer obsession)
Prep message: 'Hi Carlos, thanks for stepping in as a reference for me — role is Head of Growth at [Company], and they really want to see how marketing/growth thinks about customer obsession. If you mention the way we set up the customer-listening cadence in 2022 — including the part where I sat in on 8 churn calls a quarter — that lands the point hard. They'll call this week. Anything I should know?'
Talking points: the listening cadence · the 8 churn calls per quarter · the way we co-built the upgrade-path with your team.
Lukewarm reference handling:
If you have a Maria-shaped concern (great person, left on bad terms, might editorialize), don't drop her — companies notice when an obvious past manager is missing. Brief her harder. The prep message above explicitly invites her to flag concerns BEFORE the call. If she says 'I have some things I'd say honestly,' you have 48 hours to consider swapping her or having the harder conversation. Don't be surprised on the call. The worst reference outcome isn't a critical one — it's a vague, unenthusiastic one that signals 'lukewarm' to the recruiter without saying anything bad.