The Reference You Cannot Control: Asking former managers for references and handling a lukewarm one

It is 2am and you are drafting and deleting the same reference request, certain that the silence means the answer is already no. The Reference You Cannot Control is for the job seeker who needs a reference from a former manager they suspect will be polite but not enthusiastic. It does not promise a job, quote a search length, or tell you to stay positive. It shows you how to ask in a way that makes yes and no easy, how to prepare a willing manager to speak accurately, how to read a lukewarm...