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2 Oct 2026
By RecruitFinds
A job application can look perfect until the employer asks for references.
Suddenly, you need to identify someone who can confirm your experience, describe your work ethic and speak about your professional abilities.
For some job seekers, this is straightforward. For others, it becomes uncomfortable because a former manager has left the company, a previous employer is no longer responding, or the person they expected to recommend them does not actually know them well enough.
The good news is that you do not necessarily need to rely on one former employer.
With some planning, you can build a small group of professional referees who can support different parts of your career history.
These documents are not the same thing.
A reference or recommendation generally gives a prospective employer an assessment of your professional abilities, conduct, experience or suitability for a role.
A certificate of service is an employment document confirming basic details of your previous employment.
Under section 51 of Kenya's Employment Act, an employer is required to issue a certificate of service when employment ends, except where the employment lasted less than four consecutive weeks. The Act specifies information such as the employer's name, the employee's name, dates of employment, nature of employment and usual place of employment.
Importantly, the law does not require an employer to provide a testimonial, reference or certificate concerning an employee's character or performance. Kenyan courts have also confirmed this distinction between the statutory certificate of service and a reference letter.
So if a former employer gives you a certificate of service but declines to write a recommendation, those are two different situations.
The best referee is not necessarily the person with the biggest job title.
It is the person who can give a credible account of your work.
Consider:
This is often the strongest option because they may have directly supervised your work.
They can potentially comment on:
Your responsibilities
Reliability
Performance
Teamwork
Communication
Achievements
Leadership
Professional conduct
If your direct manager is unavailable, a supervisor who worked closely with you can be useful.
A senior colleague can work particularly well if they had substantial interaction with you and understand your responsibilities.
If you worked on a major project under a particular manager, that person may be able to provide a useful reference even if they were not your permanent supervisor.
For graduates and applicants with limited employment history, a lecturer, department head, thesis supervisor or internship supervisor may be appropriate.
This is particularly relevant when the job is closely connected to your academic or practical training.
Do not choose someone simply because they are famous, senior or well connected.
Avoid people who:
Barely remember you
Never supervised your work
Cannot describe your responsibilities
Are unlikely to respond
Have a history of giving unreliable information
May deliberately provide a negative or inaccurate reference
Have a conflict of interest with you
You have not spoken to in many years without reconnecting
A senior executive who met you twice is usually less useful than a manager who supervised you for two years.
The quality of the reference matters more than the person's title.
Never put someone's name, phone number or email address on a job application as a referee without asking them first.
This is especially important because employers may call without warning.
Instead, send a short message.
Hello [Name], I hope you are doing well. I am currently applying for a [Job Title] position at [Company], and they have requested professional references. Would you be comfortable serving as one of my referees and speaking about my work during the time I worked under you at [Previous Company]? Please let me know if that would be okay. I would really appreciate your support.
