- Stay positive, honest and personal. Use personal stories or observations about your work experiences with the job seeker. Of course objective facts are important, but they must be balanced with personal reflections about the candidate.
- Qualify yourself early in every reference letter you write. Say what qualifies you to give such a reference and testament to the caliber employee this job seeker would be. Be sure to write about when you met and how long you have known the job seeker.
- State the nature of relationship you have had with the job seeker. Were you a boss, a mentor, a colleague or a peer? What was the chain of command? Did you report to them? Did they report to you? Were you on a project team together? Many people make the mistake of thinking that they can only ask people who were senior to them for reference letters.
- State why the opportunity to support this job seeker excites you and say how you feel about being asked to write this reference letter.
- Identify which 2 or 3 specific behaviors and qualities which, in your opinion, are most meaningful to the employer. Be sure to use key words and phrases that show the job seeker as someone who is always willing to go above and beyond, is reliable and dedicated who influences others positively, demonstrates exemplary behavior and achieves outstanding outcomes.
- Why would the job seeker be a good fit for the organization in question? How could they bring value to the bottom line? Here is your opportunity to write about specific job skills that would be of value to the company. You could identify a past work experience with the job seeker that would be a specific example of the type of contribution the job seeker could make.
- Write about your willingness to work with the job seeker again.
- Share your availability for follow up. Let the employer know how to contact you directly in order to follow up.
- When writing a reference letter, it is not the time to err on the side of brevity. Be superfluous and be long winded. Be relevant.
9 Key Elements of a Good Reference Letter
Reference letters and recommendation letters are a major component of a successful job search. Every job seeker knows that in addition to their own ability to sell job skills and qualifications, they also will need support from qualified people who are willing to support their candidacy. To draft a good reference letter for a job seeker, these nine components must be included.
-
Susanna T. •Thank you for this information. I have a query; I have several letters of recommendation from executives I worked with in different corporates/countries over 22 years. Should I upload a couple of these along with my resume and covering letter when applying for a job? I usually put "references on request" at the end of my resume. I think this is a question many would like addressed, so your valued opinion much appreciated. Thanks again. Susanna -
I have seven highly informative letters of recommendation that expresses all of my qualities and success in my trade and use some of them when applicable yet it has showed no results, Your article is highly informative but i feel it somewhat misleading.
-
Tina M •Very informative
-
Lea B •These tips seem helpful for anyone looking for a new career. It is critical today to consider some of these tips for future recommendations.
-
Heidi B •Very insightful information. Thanks!
-
George F •I strongly agree with the explanations and recommendations provided by this interesting article.I have found that a well written intro-letter or submission e-mail content, which provides meaningful and relevant information, besides a well designed resume, have a very positive effect in the potential employer or job search recruiter.The opportunity to expand and highlight my professional experience, academic achievements, certifications, and any other employment information which is relevant to the position, by the extended space of an intro letter or submission e-mail is extremely valuable, and may have a tremendous effect on the reader.I have found that many of the potential employers or job listing websites do not accept the submission of a resume without the proper intro letter.I have design and developed diverse kind of intro letters, which intent and content are customized to the particular job objective or employer specifications. I keep them available in Word format on my Job-Search folder, and I copy and paste their content into the corresponding text-box at the employer-job search website.Day-by-day, I have become a little smarter on how to submit my resume and how to produce the maximum impact in the reader or headhunter.
-
david f •confidence booster and a great resource for using positive thinking
-
Debra R •I would like to know if you can give a list of potential interview questions along with the answers to the questions.These questions are related to Clerical/Secretarial/Office Tehcnician.
-
Joseph H. M •I have seven highly informative letters of recommendation that expresses all of my qualities and successes in my trade and use some of them when applicable, yet it has showed no results. Your article is highly informative but I feel it somewhat misleading.
-
judy vanderman •This page made me more confused than I was before i read it.
-
Elizabeth Tarin •What can you do when you haven't worked in five years because I was taking care of my very sick Husband. ?An employer told me the gap in my resume looked like I was in jail or something. That's just great. That's all I need.
-
Edelyne Dodard •Would it be possible to have a sample of a good recomendation letter?
-
Rosemeri Chavira •Can you show me an example of a winning cover letter, reference letter and recomendation letter?
-
Lisa O. •Thank you for this information. I have a challenge - I have no letters of recommendation. I was unable to get one from my online school and I owned my own business and have no recommendation. Also, my work history is so old that my employers have moved on and are unavailable for contact. Help! Thanks - Lisa
-
Ann B. •Please send me an example of a great reference letter. This is really good useful information!! This will be most useful to help me when writing for others. Thank you.
-
Jean mason •I received a recommendation letter from my college almost four years ago. Does this letter still count? Will personal recommendation letters also count? Can you give me any feedback?
-
Denise S. V. •Thank you for this information. Can I get a sample on how a reference letter and a recommendation letter should look like?
-
Shonna S. •I see alot of people asking for a cover letter any advice?
-
Prasong K. •Thank you very much for the great article because I used to do this. It is easy when showing to the interviewer.
-
Yolanda •I would very much like to view an example of a good reference letter. Could you provide a sample for me?
-
Bernard Downing •Letters that will help to enhance or increase our earning potential in any significance manner is vital. Most of the times employers will ask for references but not recommendations. I believe the latter could not do anything but to help the cause of someone who is looking to become gainfully employed. Good stuff!!
-
Catherine May •Thanks so much for the great update. I always attach the names and phone no#. Should I ask them to write one and I attach them to my resume. Thanks so much this article is so helpful.
-
Carmelita Arcadio •This is a timely article for a jobseeker like me. I asked one of my references to write a general reference letter. The components of the article are good guidelines.
-
AR •What about EEO office complaints about a former employer? I was told you cannot file if you want a gov't job since the complaint will be used against you. Advice?
-
Gina •I need information for a good reference letter to get a good paying full time job.
Become a member to take advantage of more features, like commenting and voting.
Register or sign in today!