The Risky Referral
A friend asks for a reference, but you know they wouldn't be right for the job.
Start DilemmaPreview
A good friend asks you to give a glowing reference for a job they just interviewed for. You are former colleagues, but your friend got fired from the place you worked at together. Your former coworker (now good friend) was always late for work and didn't complete projects on time.
Refusing to put in a good word could ruin your friendship. But your own professional reputation is also on the line.
What do you do?
Give a glowing reference. You owe your friend your loyalty.
Refuse to give the testimonial. You wouldn't hire this person and you aren't going to lie for them.
Useful Language
Students can access a Useful Language drawer at any time during the activity. The key vocabulary and sentence stems will help your learners express their thoughts and opinions.
Keywords
- referral / testimonial / reference: a letter or verbal confirmation that states that you value someone’s character and/or skills and recommend them for a job or opportunity
- put in a good word / vouch for: to use one’s own reputation to support or confirm that another person is skilled or trustworthy
- incompetent: not able to do a job or task well
- loyalty: when you always support or stay true to someone, even when it’s difficult
- credibility: when people believe and trust you because you are honest and reliable
Sentence Stems
- I would feel guilty if…
- I don’t want to hurt my friend, but…
- In my opinion, honesty is more important than…
- If I were in this situation, I would…
- When it comes to my professional life...