Reference Letter | Template | Character | Sample
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Reference letters can be a great help to a candidate who is seeking employment or a place in an academic institution. If you are called on to provide such a reference, there are some guidelines to follow to help make the reference as powerful as possible.
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How to Write a Reference Letter
Always write the Reference on your letterhead to add gravity and authority to your effort. If it’s to be sent to one specific individual, than begin the letter as you would any other type of business correspondence with the date, the name, title and address of that individual. This is so much more effective than merely writing, “to whom it may concern”, which must only be used if you are writing a general recommendation letter for the individual you are trying to help.
If the person you are writing the Reference Letter for has worked for you, the next part of the letter is critical. Describe the duties he or she performed and the responsibilities discharged, the level of competence and professionalism displayed, plus the dates of employment. Describe your overall satisfaction, praise the individual’s deportment and attitude, and in addition to the statement of recommendation, do state that you would be glad to have this individual back in your employment.
Stating that the individual you are writing the reference for always exceeded your expectations is a very powerful thing to state in any letter of reference.
If you don’t have anything good to say about an individual, don’t say it, either in a letter or in a phone conversation. You leave yourself open to lawsuit. Make sure you are aware of company policies about providing references, as many companies now have specific guidelines, and you may only be allowed to confirm the individual’s job description and years of employment.
There are many examples of Reference Letter Templates available online for both Microsoft Word and for Google Docs. These are simply letters of reference conforming to the principals outlined above, and each is just a little different from the other. They are properly formatted, the fonts are appropriate, and what you do is substitute the specifics to suit the situation. These formats are generally available to you anonymously and at no cost.
There are also online Letter of Reference generators. The way they work is to ask a series of questions including the names and addresses of the person being recommended, yourself, and the person to whom the letter is being addressed. You will also be asked the number of years you know the person, the job he of she performed, and everything else relevant to the situation. Then, you hit go, and out comes a perfectly formatted letter true to the facts you entered. The disadvantage to these online devices is that you have to register with your email address.
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