sxsphinxstack

Skills / References list

References list

Build the references document employers expect. Who to ask, permission obtained, one clean page. Use when they say "I need references", an application asks for them, or they are about to list someone without asking first.

Use this skill. Nothing to install.

Open in ChatGPT Open in Claude prefilled and ready; just hit send
for Gemini, Copilot, or Cursor: paste it, then say "use the references list skill"

Don't have an agent?  ·  Raw file: skills/references-list.md

Watch the first two minutes

This is how a session goes, including the shortcut the skill blocks. Click through it.

​(pastes the skill) an application wants three references. can i just put my aunt? she has a business email
No relatives, and that rule has no exceptions: employers call, and a reference who turns out to be your aunt ends the conversation. Let's find three real ones. List every adult who has seen you work or follow through: bosses, shift supervisors, teachers, coaches, people you babysat or mowed lawns for.
my manager at the pool last summer, my english teacher, and the neighbor whose lawn i mowed for two years
That's a real list. Rank check: what would each one say if called today, and can they speak to your work rather than just your character? The pool manager is your strongest, an actual work reference. Do you have current contact details for all three?
i'll just put their emails, i know them roughly. do i seriously have to ask them first?
Yes, before anyone goes on the page: a surprised reference is a bad reference. And no guessed emails; when someone says yes, you ask which phone or email they want listed and confirm their current title. Draft your ask to the pool manager now, in your own words: what you're applying for, whether they're willing, which contact to list.
ok: "hi marcus, i'm applying for a lifeguard job at the rec center. would you be willing to be a reference? if yes, what number should i put down? no worries if not"
Send that as is, it covers everything. While replies come in we'll build the document with a header that matches your resume, and you'll send the other two asks. When all three confirm, we export the PDF and you're ready for the moment an employer asks.

Scripted example of a real session.

Do I really have to ask people first?

Yes, every time, and the ask happens during the sitting, in your own words. A reference who gets a surprise call fumbles it; one who agreed, knows which job to expect a call about, and approved exactly how they are listed gives the answer that gets you hired. The skill also refuses guessed emails, managers who have since left, and relatives presented as employers, because employers check all three.

What you end up with

A one-page document styled to match your resume, listing people who said yes. It stays in your pocket and goes out only when an employer asks.

Example
DEVON PARK — REFERENCES
Mesa, AZ  ·  devon@example.com  ·  (555) 014-8862 1
REFERENCES
Marcus Webb — Aquatics Manager, Desert Ridge Community Pool 2
My shift supervisor, summer 2026  ·  (555) 014-3390  ·  m.webb@example.com 3
Angela Ruiz — English Teacher, Mesa Vista High School
My teacher for two years, junior and senior English  ·  a.ruiz@example.com
Tom Okafor — Homeowner
Weekly lawn client, 2024 to 2026  ·  (555) 014-7741
  1. Header matches the resume. Same name, city, email, phone, same fonts, so the two documents read as a set when they land in the same inbox.
  2. Title and organization as the reference approved them. Marcus confirmed "Aquatics Manager" is his current title. Nothing here is guessed.
  3. Relationship in plain words. "My shift supervisor, summer 2026" tells the caller exactly why this person's opinion counts. A lawn client is a real reference when the relationship is stated honestly.

Anatomy of a reference entry

Each entry answers the caller's questions before they dial:

Marcus Webb, Aquatics Manager · Desert Ridge Community Pool · my shift supervisor, summer 2026 · (555) 014-3390, m.webb@example.com

Questions people actually ask

Is this free?

The skill is free, no account, no catch. The agent you paste it into may or may not be: Gemini has the widest free tier, and the free plans of ChatGPT, Claude, and Copilot can all run it in a chat.

Should "references available upon request" go on my resume?

No. The skill's rule is that the phrase earns its line nowhere. References live in this separate document, and it goes out only when an employer actually asks, which is usually late in the process.

Can I use a family member if they employed me?

No. Friends and family are out, including relatives presented as employers, because a checked reference that turns out to be your aunt costs you the job. The neighbor you mowed lawns for, the parent you babysat for, the teacher who graded you for two years: those all count, and most people have more of them than they think.

I can only think of one person. Now what?

Start with that one: get the yes, list them properly, and keep building. If the posting requires three and you genuinely have one, the fix is the same as a thin resume: do something an adult witnesses, then come back. The skill will say this plainly rather than pad the list with weak names.

When do I actually send the document?

Only when asked. Then two more pieces of etiquette the skill drills: tell each reference which job to expect a call about, and thank them afterward whether or not you got it. People who are warned give better answers, and people who are thanked say yes next time.

Where to go from here

References confirmed? They fit into a larger application kit:

Build your resume Ask for recommendations Interview prep

Nobody has seen you work yet? Fix that in a few weekends:

Tutoring page with real clients Lawn work with a booking page Babysitting page parents trust
Curious? Read the full skill — the exact instructions your agent gets 
---
name: references-list
category: resume
description: Build the references document employers expect. Who to ask, permission obtained, one clean page. Use when they say "I need references", an application asks for them, or they are about to list someone without asking first.
---

# references-list

Build a references list with someone who has probably
never been asked for one. The bar: three people who have agreed to
vouch for them, correct contact details confirmed, and a clean
one-page document matching their resume, ready to send the moment
an employer asks.

## Ground rules

- Nobody goes on the list without saying yes first. A surprised
  reference is a bad reference. The permission ask happens in this
  sitting, in the person's own words.
- Real people with real contact details they have verified — no
  guessed emails, no listing a manager who left, no relatives
  presented as employers.
- References are a separate document, sent only when requested.
  They do not live on the resume, and "references available upon
  request" earns its line nowhere.

## Choosing who

List every adult who has seen them work or follow through:
employers, shift supervisors, teachers, coaches, club advisors,
people they babysat or mowed lawns for. Rank by two questions —
what would this person say if called today, and can they speak to
work rather than character alone? Aim for three, one of them a
work-type reference if any exists. Friends and family are out.
If the list comes up empty, the fix is the same as a thin resume:
do something an adult witnesses (https://sphinxstack.com/skills/),
then come back.

## Getting the yes

For each pick, they draft a short ask — text, email, or in person:
what they are applying for, whether the person is willing to be a
reference, and which phone or email to list. Workshop the wording;
they send it themselves. While replies come in, keep building with
the confirmed ones. When someone agrees, confirm how they want to
be reached and their current title — do not guess either.

## The document

One page, same header (name, city, email, phone) and same fonts as
the resume so the two read as a set. For each reference: name,
title, organization, relationship in plain words ("shift
supervisor at Dairy Queen, summer 2025"), phone, email — details
exactly as the reference approved them. Export to PDF the same way
as the resume, named `references-<their-name>.pdf`.

## Done

- Three (or the posting's required number of) confirmed references
- Each said yes and approved their listed contact details
- One-page PDF styled to match the resume, ready to attach
- They know the etiquette: send only when asked, tell references
  which job to expect a call about, thank them after