Practise two linked conversations: an applicant asks a former manager for a reference, then a recruiter calls that manager. The aim is to make the roles clear and describe work you actually know about.
The idea
In birine referans olmak, the person you recommend takes the dative: Bana referans olabilir misiniz? asks the other person to recommend you. In birini referans olarak göstermek, the person you name takes the accusative: Sizi referans olarak gösterebilir miyim? asks permission to name that person. On the call, give the working relationship, its duration and a concrete example of performance.
Read the text
Elif: Merhaba Deniz Hanım. Yeni bir işe başvuruyorum. Bana referans olabilir misiniz?
Deniz: Elbette. Projede iki yıl birlikte çalıştık.
Elif: Teşekkür ederim. Sizi referans olarak gösterebilir miyim?
Deniz: Evet, gösterebilirsiniz.
İşe alım görevlisi: Merhaba Deniz Hanım. Elif hakkında konuşmak için arıyorum. Şu an uygun musunuz?
Deniz: Evet, buyurun.
İşe alım görevlisi: Adayla ne kadar süre çalıştınız?
Deniz: İki yıl birlikte çalıştık. Ben onun yöneticisiydim.
İşe alım görevlisi: Elif hangi görevlerden sorumluydu?
Deniz: Elif müşteri sorularını yanıtlıyordu. Raporları da zamanında teslim etti.
İşe alım görevlisi: Peki, İngilizce sunum yapabilir mi?
Deniz: Bu konuda bilgim yok. İş yerinde Türkçe konuşuyorduk.
Examples
- Bana referans olabilir misiniz?Could you act as a reference for me?
- Projede iki yıl birlikte çalıştık.We worked together on the project for two years.
- Elif raporları zamanında teslim etti.Elif submitted the reports on time.
- Sizi referans olarak gösterebilir miyim?May I name you as a reference?
- Adayla ne kadar süre çalıştınız?How long did you work with the candidate?
- Elif hangi görevlerden sorumluydu?Which tasks was Elif responsible for?
- Elif müşteri sorularını yanıtlıyordu.Elif used to answer customers’ questions.
- Bu konuda bilgim yok.I have no information about that.
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Watch out
Size referans olabilirim means “I can recommend you”; it does not ask for a reference for yourself. Keep track of who is recommending whom. If a question goes beyond your knowledge, Bu konuda bilgim yok states that limit without inventing an assessment.
Try it yourself
Politely ask your former manager to act as a reference. Complete with the ability form of olmak: Bana referans ___ misiniz?
Show answer or example answer
olabilir
olabilir: the applicant is asking whether the manager can act as a reference. misiniz addresses the manager politely; Bana identifies the person being recommended.
Ask permission to name someone as a reference. Complete with the ability form of göstermek: Sizi referans olarak ___ miyim?
Show answer or example answer
gösterebilir
gösterebilir: the speaker wants permission to name the other person. The supplied miyim makes this a first-person question, and Sizi is its object.
Say “We worked with the candidate for two years.” Use çalışmak in the definite past, “we”: Adayla iki yıl birlikte ___.
Show answer or example answer
çalıştık
çalıştık: the manager includes both people in the experience, so the past-tense verb needs the “we” ending. İki yıl gives its duration.
Say that you have no information on the subject. Add “my” to bilgi: Bu konuda ___ yok.
Show answer or example answer
bilgim
bilgim: the missing information belongs to the speaker’s knowledge, so bilgi takes the first-person possessive -m. The sentence says nothing about the candidate’s ability.
Practice round
Answer questions, then rebuild Turkish sentences and words where available. We keep your score.
Politely ask your former manager to act as a reference. Complete with the ability form of olmak: Bana referans ___ misiniz?
Ask permission to name someone as a reference. Complete with the ability form of göstermek: Sizi referans olarak ___ miyim?
Say “We worked with the candidate for two years.” Use çalışmak in the definite past, “we”: Adayla iki yıl birlikte ___.
Say that you have no information on the subject. Add “my” to bilgi: Bu konuda ___ yok.
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
Keep your progress
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In pairs, play the applicant and former manager. Ask for a reference and permission to name the manager. Then switch to the recruiter’s call: ask about time worked together and give one concrete example plus one limit to your knowledge.