How to Write a Professional Reference Letter

Professional Reference Letter

When somebody who has worked with you decides to relocate to a different location and starts looking for a job, he/she may ask for a professional reference letter from you. There are companies that ask for professional reference letters from job applicants as a written confirmation of an applicant’s character and credentials. Many times, applicants themselves prefer to attach reference letters hoping it will increase the chance of selection. And there are occasions when the new employer and old employer or new boss and old boss are friends. In such cases, professional reference letters add great value to anybody’s resume. If you are in a supervisory position, you may often get asked to write a reference letter for your subordinates.

Writing a professional reference letter may sound very simple, but you will need to follow a few points to make it a perfect one. A reference letter or a recommendation letter is one that talks about ‌the positive side of the person. The purpose is to recommend or refer a person you know to another person or company seeking a reference or recommendation from a job applicant, just to verify if the claims made by the applicant are true.

Here, we will try to understand how to write a professional recommendation letter for a colleague, former team member, student, or acquaintance when they ask for a personal recommendation.

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How to write a reference letter?

First, when someone asks for a reference letter, try to understand whether you can genuinely provide a strong recommendation that can benefit the person. If you are not sure, it is always better to politely reject the request for sending the referral letter. Do not feel compelled to write a letter that could be misleading and would harm the other person’s chances. Avoid recommending anyone if you have any hesitation.

And if you are sure that you can write a good professional reference letter that would increase the chance of selection for the candidate, follow this process:

• In the first place, recall the role of the person who was working with you in your team. Or you can also ask HR what role or designation he/she held and for how long they stayed. Dig into your own records to see if there are any useful notes about them to help you.

• Now, write down two-three personal qualities of that person that will portray the person about whom you are going to write. If you can recall any example to support what you wrote about the qualities, add them in your reference letter too.

• Try to remember if you had any specific experiences with that person, like when they showed a positive attitude or knowledge. Here also try to add one example to support your experience with him/her in your letter if possible.

• You can use this letter as a template for writing more reference letters for recommendations in the future. This will save you time. In all situations, you will need to invest at least 30 minutes or more to write a good professional recommendation letter. However, if you have a lot of good things to say about a person, this is not going to disappoint you.

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Sample Letter

Here is a sample of a professional reference letter:

Dear [insert name],

I am writing to recommend [employee_name]. [He/She/They] worked with us at [company_name] as an [employee_job_title] and [reported to me/ worked with me] in my position as [insert your job title].

As an employee, [employee_name] was always [insert quality]. During [his/her/their] time in my team, [he/she/they] managed to [insert example].

I have always put a premium on [insert quality] among my team members and [employee_name] never failed to deliver. An example was when [insert example].

[Employee_name] is a delight to work with and I would not hesitate to hire [him/her/them] again.

Should you have any further questions about [him/her/them], feel free to reach me at [phone number].

Thanks,

[Your name and signature]

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Few Points to Keep in Mind

The above sample is just for your reference that you can follow. A few points that you should note here are,

1. Use one or two additional sentences to give background to each of your examples in the letter. Examples will make your recommendation more genuine.

1. Use the above sample as a guide, but make sure you use your own words to write and put in your own thoughts. The sample is only to help you understand the format.

1. Be honest in what you write. You should sound genuine. The prospective employer of your former employee or colleague may ask him/her about the examples you have mentioned in your letter. Do not try to draw a false image, as they may come out someday.
2. If you are aware of the position and role your former employee has applied for then you can write a targeted recommendation letter, if possible. You can tailor the letter as per the role requirements. For example, if you know the job requires leadership skills, do not hesitate to give supporting examples.

Conclusion

Writing a professional reference letter can be a very challenging task. However, if the person for whom you are writing was a performer and has a good professional track record, you will enjoy writing for him/her. If you are in a supervisory role in your company, quite often you will receive requests from your former employees or subordinates. The above details will help you write a decent professional recommendation letter for your ex-colleague or former employee. Do not get envious while writing the letter. Also, do not mislead or give false information. Similarly, do not try to become casual while writing. This letter can make or break somebody’s career. So, if you get an opportunity to help someone in finding a job with genuine support, do it without any second thought in your mind. But do it only if you are capable of writing a good recommendation letter.

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